Watching The Games
by xxNERDYxx
Summary: The Hunger Games told from, Prim's, Gale's, Peeta's, and Katniss's mother's point of view
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games :(

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Prim's POV

I woke up one morning screaming, my head off, the name _Primrose Everdeen_ still bouncing around my skull, fresh from my nightmare. _It was just a dream,_ I told myself. _Katniss didn't let you take out any tesserae. You're name's only in once. You're not going into the arena_.  
/Still, I couldn't shake the terror that was overtaking me, so I tiptoed out of the bed I shared with my sister and crawled in with my mother. As I walked across the room, my cat Buttercup watched me with his green eyes. Katniss hates him, but he's  
/family. I tried not to wake my mother, but she did when I lay down beside her. "Did you have a bad dream?" My mother asked. "Yeah," I admitted. "It's ok," she said. "The reaping scares everyone, even me. Try to get some sleep, Primrose." My mother  
/and Katniss love me and protect me in every way they can, but even they know that they are powerless against the Games. I curled up against my mother and went to sleep.

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Gales POV

I woke up before the sun was up, slipped into my hunting boots, and snuck into the woods. It was nearly an hourbefore Katniss and I had agreed to meet here, but I wanted to suprise her. As I walked past my first snare, I saw that it had caught a

/fat squirrel. It was a fine catch, but would it be enough? It would have to be. I slipped under the fence and walked to the bakery. When I knocked on the back door, the baker answered. I held up the squirrel, and he handed me a loaf of fine bakery  
/bread. "That's too much-" I tried to protest. "Take it," he said. As I was walking away, he called after me, "And good luck!" "Thanks," I said. "I'll need it." My name was in the reaping bowl 42 times-not exactly putting the odds in my favor.

I slipped under the fence again and went to meet Katniss an our meeting place. I waited for about 15 minutes until she appeared. Before she got to me, I stuck an arrow through the bakery bread and hid it behind my back. "Hey, Catnip!" I called. The  
/first

time she told me her name, she had only whispered it, so I thought she'd said "catnip." "Look what I shot!" I said, pulling the bread out. She laughed, and her whole face lit up when she did. Somehow I knew that she would never marry, but that didn't  
/stop me from liking her a little. Of course, she didn't know, but if she opened that door to me, I would walk straight through it. "How much did it cost you?" she asked. "Just a squirrel. I think the baker was feeling sentimentalthis morning.

Even wished me luck." "Well, we all feel a little closer today, don't we,"she said. "Primleft us a cheese," and she pulled out a little goat cheese, made from the goat we had got her a few years ago for her birthday, wrapped in basil leaves.

"Thank you Prim," I said. "We shall have a real feast today. I cut the bread and spread the thick, fatty, creamy cheese onto each slice. Katniss and I sat there, eating them. A blackberry bush stood nearby, do I popped a few into my mouth. "I almost  
/forgot," I said in a silly, high-pitched voice, in mockery of the silly Capitol accents. "Happy Hunger Games!" I threw a blackberry up in a high arch. Katnisscaugh it in her mouth and said, with a smile on her face "And may the odds be _ever_ in  
/your favor." For a while, we just sat there, eating, until I burst out what was on my mind.

"We could do it, you know." "What?" Katniss responded. "Run off. Leave the district. Live in the woods. Me and you. We could make it." Katniss just stared at me. "If we didn't have so many kids, that is." She knows they're not our kids, just our younger  
/siblings that we take care of. "I never want to have kids," she said dismissively. "I might, if I didn't live here," I confessed. "But you do, so what's the point talking about it?" "Forget it," I snapped. We abandoned the conversation and just hunted  
/and gathered until about 10:30, when we went and traded half our goods at the hob and to the merchants. Then Katniss and I parted ways, and I got myself ready for my very last reaping.

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Thank you so much for reading! Please review!

Also, I'm writing this on my phone, so I apologize if the format's a little choppy


	2. The Reaping

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games

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Katniss' Mother's POV

Iwoke up with Primrose curled up next to me, just like she did when she was little. Katniss was gone - no doubt she was in the woods - so I made breakfast for only two. I took a small amount of tesserae grain, put it into a pot,

added some water, and boiled it over the fire until it cooked down to a mush. It tasted very bland on its own, and unfortunately, we were out of berries or maple syrup to sweenten it up. Oh, well. When you live in District 12, you don't turn your  
/nose up at food, no matter how repulsive it is. Primrose woke up just as I was setting milk from her goat on the table. We ate our breakfast in silence. With the reaping only hours away, there was no conversation.

After we ate, I filled a large basin with water and we scrubbed ourselves clean. I dressed Primrose in Katniss's first reaping outfit, but since Katniss was much bigger than Primrose is now at the age of twelve, I had to make her shirt

stay tucked in with pins. I ran out before I could do the whole shirt. It would have to do

I had just finished braiding Primrose's hair - a simplebraid my mother taught me called a waterfall braid - when Katniss walked in. She dropped her game bag in the table and took out fish, greens, strawberries, and some money. While

she washed off all the dirt and sweat from the woods, I began turning the fish and greens into a stew for our meal after the reaping. Also, I lay out a dress for Katniss to wear - a simple blue one with matching shoes - but would she accept it? After  
/my husband died in a mine explosion, I fell into an overwhelming depression. It's an illness of mind, and there are herbs that can help ease the pain, but I didn't have them, so it was Katniss who kept us alive. She has never forgiven me for all that  
/I put her through, although I have tried several times to mend things between us. This blue dress is another gesture. My dresses from my past are very precious to me. "Oh," said Katniss when she saw it. "Are you sure?" "Of course I'm sure," I said.  
/"Come on, let's do your hair." Her braid was much more complicated than Primrose's, but I thought it matched their personalities: Primrose being so sweet, simple, kind, and innocent; Katniss having many layers to herself and very complex, but beautiful  
/once you took a step back. I wished them luck and they were herded off into the town square

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Prim's POV

Katniss looked so beautiful, in my mother's blue dress and shoes, and her hair tied up in an elaborate braid. She said she wished she looked like me, but I don't see why-my clothes are too big and my shirt keeps forming a duck tail. We waited

in a line so they could draw a "sample." "What do they mean by sample?" I asked Katniss as we got closer to the front of the line. "They draw some of your blood to make sure you came," she replied. _What? They draw my blood?_ No one told me  
about

this. I wasn't ready. A peacekeeper stood ahead of me holding a device with an evil-looking needle on it. The world started spinning. Everything, my fear of the reaping, of the games, of this man standing there with the needles, threatened to drown  
/me. Katniss was there, holding my arm. "Prim, it only hurts for a second-" "No!" I was getting hysterical now, but it was too much, too much..."No!" Katniss was leading me up there, but the world was spinning and growing fuzzy..,

A sharp stab in my arm jerked me back to my senses. Katniss was literally holding me up, and a peacekeeper was spreading my blood next to the name _Everdeen, Primrose_. Another peacekeeper marched me over to a roped area with all the

other twelve-year-olds after about ten minutes, Mayor Undersee and Effie Trinket sat down in chairs on the stage. Haymitch was supposed to be there too, but he didn't show up until halfway through the mayor's speech, dead drunk. After thelong

and dreary speech, it was time to draw the names. Effie Trinket, our escort, began with her signature, "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor." She beams at all of us, but we all know that she's just waiting to get

promoted to a better district. "Ladies first!" She says. Effie walks over to the bowl with the girls names in them. After clawing around for a little, she snags a piece of paper and walks back to the microphone. I hold my breath, hoping that it's  
/not me, that it's not Katniss, her names in more times than mine is - and now Effie's reading the name "Primrose Everdeen."

It's just like my nightmares, and I'm going to wake up screaming any second, but I don't wake up. People are looking at me, and I can feel my legs moving me toward the stage. My ears feel plugged, like all the noise around me is muffled,

people are whispering, and in my mind I can hear Katniss calling my name...

No, that wasn't just in my mind. Katniss was running toward me, peacekeepers following her, but she was too fast. "Prim!" She screamed. She caught up to me and pushed me behind her. "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" "No, Katniss, you

can't go," I said, crying, and I wrapped my skinny arms around her. "Prim. Let go," she said, probably more harshly than she intended, but I was never going to let go. Then Gale appeared and picked me up, and he carried me, kicking and screaming,  
/back to my mother.

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Gale's POV

Prim's name was drawn, and I was in shock. How could Prim, who was one slip in thousands, be going into the arena? But I knew she wasn't, because Katniss was running past me, volunteering for Prim. It broke my heart to see them standing there, Prim  
screaming

and crying, Katniss heading off to certain death. Prim wasn't going to let go, and if the peacekeepers had to force her, the Everdeens would be in huge trouble for interfering with the reaping. So I walked out and picked up Prim, who was now thrashingaround  
in my arms. "Up you go, Catnip," I said, and it was all I could do not to cry as I watched my best friend mount the stage. I stood there as Effie Trinket called Peta Mellark as the boy tribute. They were lead into a room, and had only one hour to  
say goodbye to the people they loved.

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What do you think? Thank you for reading, and please review!


	3. Saying Goodbye

Thank you AlwaysPeetaM for favoriting my story!

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Prim's POV

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My mother and I stood outside the Justice Building, waiting until we could say goodbye to Katniss. I was trembling - I still had some adrenaline from when they called my name, and now that the shock had settled, I was finally realizing that  
I might lose my sister forever. A peacekeeper let us in, and I saw Katniss sitting on a beautiful couch. She held her arms out to me and I climbed onto her lap just like I did when I was a little kid. My mother sat next to her, and for a while we just  
sat there, not saying anything. Then Katniss began talking about what we should do when she was gone. When she was done, she looked at my mother and told her that she couldn't leave like she did when my father died because then I would be all alone. "I'll  
be alright," I said, "But you have to try too! Please, Katniss, will you try to win? Really, really try?" "Of course," she replied, and then a peacekeeper came in and told us to get out, and she hugged us both tight, and then we were forced out the door,  
and I realized that I may have just spoken to my sister for the last time.

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Katniss's Mother's POV  
Katniss grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Listen to me. Are you listening to me?" She hissed. I nodded. I knew what was coming. "You can't leave again," she said. "I know. I couldn't help what-" "Well, you have to help it this time. You  
can't clock out and leave Prim on her own. There's no me now to keep you all alive now. It doesn't matter, whatever you see on the screen, you have to promise me that you'll fight through it!"  
Anger was rising in me. "I was ill." I snapped. "I could have treated myself if I had the medicine I have now." "Then take it, and take care of her," she said, and her voice broke a little. Too soon, the peacekeeper was back, and Katniss  
was saying, "I love you," and we were saying it back, and I knew we all ment it.

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Gale's POV  
I waited outside the Justice Building as Prim and Mrs. Everdeen, Mr. Melark, and Madge said goodbye to Katniss. Then, finally, I was allowed to go inside. When I opened my arms, Katniss didn't hesitate before she walked straight into them.  
It felt good, standing there with her in my arms, something she would never do under normal circumstances, and when she stood there, I knew that even if she died in the arena, I would always love her. "Listen, Katniss, it's just hunting. You're the  
best hunter I know. You've had more practice; _real_ practice. You know how to kill." "Not _people,_ " she exclaimed. "How different can it be, really?" I asked. When the peacekeeper came back, I asked for five more minutes, but he started  
pushing me out the door. Katniss began to panic. "Don't let them starve!" She cried. "I won't! You know I won't! Katniss! Remember, I-" and then they dragged me out and the heavy doors slammed shut. "Love you," I whispered to the doors, and  
I knew she would never hear those words.

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thank you for reading! Again, a big thank you to AlwaysPeetaM. Please review!


	4. The Train Ride

Thank you AlwaysPeetaM for your support! At your suggestion, I will now be including Peeta's POV in my story. If anyone else has a suggestion, please leave it as a review.

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Petra's POV

My name was drawn from the reaping bowl after Katniss's was. Shaking hands, saying goodbye, that was all a blur. I could only really form one clear thought: I was going into the arena with the girl I loved. She didn't know; we had never spoken,  
/but since I was 5, I knew I would love her forever. When she was 11, I gave her bread. That was our only real encounter. But that doesn't matter anymore, because we're being thrown into an arena to kill each other. No. I would never kill Katniss,  
/even though her life would mean my death. Maybe someone else will kill her, or I'll die first, but if we're the last one's in the arena together...

No. That's not going to happen. I don't stand a chance - the District 12 tributes rarely do - but Katniss does. She's the one who can take down a dear or feed a family for six years. She knows how to survive. Even my mother knows that. When

she said goodbye, she said, "District 12 might finally have a victor this year. She's a survivor that one. _She_ is." Thanks, mom.

Katniss, Effie, and I sat at a long table where we were served the most delicious meal I have ever had. Well, when almost all you eat is stale bread and wild squirrels, there's not much competition. I definitely ate more than I should have,

and by the time we were done, I felt like I was going to be sick. Sometime during the meal, we watched the televised replay of the reapings. I made note of all the Career Tributes plus a few others. The tributes from District 1 and 2 were all volunteers.  
/The girl from 2 had another girl volunteer at the same time as her, and she ended up on the stage after she knocked the other one out. The only other tributes that stood out in my mind were the ones from District 11. They were polar opposites: the  
/girl small and young, underfed; the boy built like an ox. It broke my heart to see the girl standing there; she was no older than Prim, and it seemed so unfair and cruel that the Capitol would sentence someone so small and helpless to almost certain  
/death.

The District 12 reaping was shown. Prim's name was drawn, and Katniss ran up to save her. You can't miss the pain in her voice as she gives her life for the sister she loves so much. Haymitch felloff the stage as he congratulated her.

My name was drawn, I mounted the stage, and we shake hands. "Your mentor has a lot to learn about manners," Effie snapped after the replay. "A lot about televised presentation." Out of nowhere, I burst out laughing. " He was _drunk_. He's  
/drunk every year." "Every _day_!" Katniss chimed in, snickering. "So odd that you two find this amusing," said Effie. "You know, your mentor controls the flow of gifts in the arena. He could very well be the difference between your life and  
your

death!" Just then, Haymitch staggered into the dining car. "I miss supper?" he asked, slurring his words. Then he threw up what seemed to be a whole bottle of liquor and fell face-first into it. "So laugh away," Effie concluded, fleeing from the room.  
/For a moment, Katniss and I just looked at our mentor. Then, we both grabbed one of his arms and dragged him into his train compartment. "I'll take it from here," I told her. She nodded. "I can get one of the Capitol attendants to come help." "No.  
/I don't want them," I said. She nodded again and left.

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Prim's POV

My mother and I sat in our kitchen, pushing the fish stew around on our plates with the shutters drawn tight. Neither of us would eat any of the dinner that Katniss had caught and gathered. Buttercup walked up on the table and started meowing.  
/He didn't understand that Katniss might be about to die, and probably wouldn't notice that she was gone until he stopped receiving entrails. I scratched him between his ears and fed him the fish from the stew I knew I wouldn't be able to eat. Fat  
/tears rolled down my cheeks as I watched Buttercup consume the last meal Katniss ever prepared for me.

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Gale's POV

For a while, I just sat at the table, as the rest of my family tried to coax some food into me. Finally, I couldn't stand it. I stood up and walked the short distance to the Everdeen's house. Prim was sitting on the couch, curled up against hr  
/mother. Both of them were crying. I sat there with them as we watched the replay of the reapings and checked out Katniss's competition. The Career Tributes looked as deadly as ever, but still, I knew from spending years of hunting with her, I knew  
/that there was more to Katniss that meets the eye. She may be smaller and skinnier than the others, but if she came up with a bow, I knew she could kill every one of them.

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Thank you for reading. Please review, and again, thank you AlwaysPeetaM, and I again apologize if the format is a little choppy


	5. The Next Day

Gale's POV

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The next day, I woke up, and it took me a few minutes to remember why I felt so depressed. It wasn't until I passed by the woods on my way to school that I remembered: Katniss was gone. I sat through the day at school feeling numb; not sad,

but just numb. No one tried to talk to me; most of my friends were from the Seam, so they knew the connection Katniss and I shared. After school, I went straight to the woods and sat down at the place where Katniss and I sat yesterday. How much has  
changed

since then? We're no longer together, no longer laughing and joking about the games. They've always seemed real, but now they just seem so much more...personal, I guess. I plucked a blackberry from the nearby bush, but instead of eating it, I just  
rolled

it between my fingers, the words replaying in my head.

 _Happy Hunger Games_! My voice sounds bright in the memory. _And may the odds_...I see myself tossing the berry in a high arch, and Katniss catches it in her mouth. _Be_ ever _in your favor,_ she concludes. I blink and the  
/memory vanishes. My fingertips are stained a faint purple because I've been crushing the berry to keep from crying. Although I knew my family would understand if I returned with nothing, I wasn't one who would let hunting time go to waste. Besides,  
/with Katniss gone, her family would now depend on me for food as the bow and arrows shegame me, I brought down three squirrels by pretending that each one represented theCapitol, who took away Katniss, who would stand by

as 23 innocent children get slaughtered. Fury was building inside me, so I took it out by shooting a rabbit four times. It was wasted meat at this point, so I beat it with a rock until all my anger was worked out of me. I still kept the meat, though,  
/because I could use it as bait in my traps designed to catch bigger game. My snares had done well, and I left the woods with four squirrels, a rabbit, a beaver, and a little bag of lavender. On my way toward the fence, I say a cluster of catnip growing.  
/Katniss. Catnip. I felt my throat close up as I knelt down and cut the plant from the ground with my knife and put it in my pouch around my waist.

I really wanted to just skip the hob and go home, but we were running out of soap, so I stopped by there anyway. As I traded the lavender with Hugo, the old man who makes soap and candles and uses lavender add scents, I noticed that Greasy

Sae was eyeing one of my squirrels. "Take it," I said. "It's all yours." Greasy Sae smiled and dropped 7 coins on the table. "That's too much," I tried to protest. It's true. A squirrel was only worth about 3coins, and even though the squirrel  
/I gave her was so fat I might have been able to get away with charging 4 coins, _seven_ was definitely too much. But she just smiled and said, "Well, if it's too much, then how about donating it to a noble cause?" As I was trying to find out  
what

this _noble cause_ was, Greasy Sae pulled out a large tin can from under her table. Using mud, she had painted the words _Sponsor Katniss_ on it. In a voice much louder than it needed to be, she announced, "I'M RUNNING A COLLECTION SO  
THAT

WE CAN SPONSOR KATNISS IN THE ARENA, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY SPARE COINS, YOU CAN DO NATE THEM HERE." Every head in the hob turned our way as Greasy Sae took the squirrel and started stewing it. I dropped four of my coins into the tin, and as I left, I  
/saw out of the corner of my eye that Ripper, the woman who sells white liquor, and Darrius, a young, red headed peacekeeper who's one of Katniss's and my personal friends, contributing a few more coins to the collection. I left with a smile, and as  
/I delivered the other three squirrels to the Everdeens, I knew that not all hope was lost for Katniss.

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Prim's POV

I went to school, like every other day. My mother set two plates of mush on the table for us, and I walked to school at 6:45, just like any other day. Well, it would be like any other day, if my mother had set three plates of mush on the

table, and if Katniss was holding my hand on the way to school. School provided a little comfort: my class sang a traditional mourning song, which is something that always happens when your sibling is reaped,and my friends Sandi, who lives by

me in the Seam, and Millie, who's parents own the small sweets shop in District 12, gave me a little disk of pink candy from her parent's store. I walked home with the sugar melting on my tongue. My mother sat drinking herb tea at the table. She poured  
/me a mug and we sat in silence for a while until Gale showed up and gave us 3 squirrels. He seemed oddly happy for some reason, and when we asked why he said, "At the hob, Greasy Sae is holding a collection to sponsor Katniss in the arena. They know  
/she can fight, and they know she can stay alive. They've collected almost 15 coins so far." _15 coins?_ That was enough to feed both me and my mother for a full day in nice butcher meat. At this rate, Katniss could stay alive and come home to  
/me.

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Katniss's Mother' POV

I found some rose petals and lemon balm in my apothecary cupboard and boiled them with tea leaves. I usually make these into a concoction for patients who are suffering from a broken heart, but this time it was I who needed it. It would be

so easy to slip into the world of crippling depression, but I would fight through this trial. The herbs would help, yes, but also my state of mind would. If I could tell myself I would be alright, I would be. But I had a hard time telling myself that  
/and believing it. When Gale brought us fresh meat, he also brought news that lifted my spirits far more than food or medicine could. He told us how The frequents to the hob were collecting money to sponsor Katniss in the arena. If they believe she  
/can make it home, then I believe so to.

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Thank you for reading! I ment to include Peeta's point of view in this chapter, but I have final exams this week, so with school and studying, I just didn't have time. I will make sure to include him in the next chapter. Thank you again for reading, and  
/please review!


	6. Enter the Capitol

Ah, summer break. Sorry for the late upload, but I had to take a break from writing to study for my you enjoy this , I'm thinking of including Cinna's POV. Would you like to see that? Let me know.

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Peeta's POV

I woke up the next morning and dashedstraight to the bathroom. Over-stuffing myself had taken its toll, and I barely made it to the toilet before it all came back up. After I finished vomiting, I rinsed out my mouth, brushed my teeth,

and was just pulling on a clean white shirt when Effie rapped on my door. "Up! Up! Up! It's going to be a big, big, _big_ day!" she chirped. I left my room and walked to the dining car. Being a bakers son, I immediately noticed the large basket  
/of rolls. I grabbed one, and it was some of the best bread I'd ever tasted. I would only occasionally get fresh bread back home; the only way we got some is if we purchased it, and almost all the money we made went to buying flour, sugar, yeast...  
/Effie poured herself a mug of black coffee. I never liked it much, but there was a ceramic jug of a lighter brown liquid that had the most amazing aroma. When I tried some of it, it was sweet and creamy. "What kind of coffee is this?" I asked

Effie. "It doesn't taste like any other kind I've ever tried." "Oh, that's not _coffee_ ," Effie said. "It's hot chocolate." Chocolate. The sweet, brown candy sometimes made at the tiny sweet shop a stones throw from the bakery. Haymitch showed  
/up as I was filling my plate with eggs, potatoes, ham, and fruit. He's seriously hungover, and even though there's an endless amount of food, he only grabs a cup of red juice and thins it out with spirits. Halfway through his cup, he lets out a loud  
/burp. Effie leaves the table to sit across the dining cart. She brushes past Katniss, who had just entered. What a sight we must have been; Effie muttering under her breath, Haymitch hungover and chuckling, me in the middle of it all, just clutching  
/a roll and looking embarrassed. Katniss ignored us as she filled her plate. When she looks inside the pot of hot chocolate questioningly, I fill her in. "They call it hot chocoalte. It's good." When we've finished eating, Katniss turns to Haymitch.  
"So you're supposed to give us advice," she says. "Here's some advice. Stay alive," he replies, and then bursts out laughing. "That's very funny, Haymitch." I say. Then I knock the glass out of his hands. "Only not to us." He considers this a moment,  
then hits me across the cheek. Hard. I can feel it turning red. As he reaches for another cup, Katniss drives her knife between his hand and the glass. But instead of hitting her, Haymitch just sits back. "Well, well, well. Did I actually get a pair  
of fighters this year? Stand up. Let me have a look at you." He examines us, looking us up and down. "You seem fit enough. And once the stylists get ahold of you, you'll be attractive enough. I'll make a deal with you - you don't interfere with my  
drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you. Got it?" "So help us!" Said Katniss. "When we get into the arena, what's the best-" "One thing at a time," says Haymitch. "Once we get to the Capitol, you'll be put into the hands of your stylists.  
You're not going to like what they do to you, but _don't resist_."

Haymitch is right. I don't like what my prep team does to me. By the time Garboria, Hercules, and Zexio are done with me, I feel like a plucked chicken that's been bathed in pools of acid, bubbles, and tar. Portia, though, I like Portia. She's not like  
the rest of the Capitol citizens. She hasn't altered herself much, just dyed her hair a light shade of orange. She dresses me in my outfit which is misleadingly simple, but once they set my cape on fire, it'll be dazzling. Or deadly. Portia says it's  
not real fire, but Katniss and I aren't convinced we won't show up the the training center charred. When it's time for the procession, Cinna, Katniss's stylist, comes up and ignites our capes. We gasp, waiting for the heat and agony, but there's only  
a tickling sensation. He has one last idea, but it's hard to hear over the blast of the anthem. "What did he say?" Katniss asked. "I think he said to hold hands," I replied. We grabbed hands, and Cinna gave a thumbs up in conformation. Holding hands  
with Katniss. Something I had always wanted to do but never had the courage to ask. Maybe these games wouldn't be so bad after all. And that was my last thought before I rolled out into the Capitol.

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Sorry about the short chapter, but my phone deleted half of it. Let me know what you think about including Cinna's POV, and please review! I love getting feedback and it helps me out a lot


	7. The Chariot Ride

Since my phone cut part of the last chapter I wrote, I will include some of it here. I hope you enjoy!

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Peeta's POV

I sat there as Portia explained to me how my outfit was going to work. "Cinna and I have designed your capes to be flammable but also fire-resistant, so they will burn but now be destroyed. The fire will just trail behind you more or less.

Your jumpsuits are completely fire-resistant as an added precaution, but of course there's no real danger. The fires not real, but it sure looks like it is." She lead me down to the chariots where I met up with Katniss. "What do you think? About the  
/fire?" she asked in a hushed voice. "I'll rip off your cape if you rip off mine," I replied. I know Portia told me there wouldn't be any danger, but still, living in a bakery, I know what fire can do if not controlled properly. When I was about 7  
/my older brother was helping my father when his apron caught fire. His skin was so red and shiny, and no matter how much snow we put on his burns, they still hurt him. My parents eventually went to Katniss's mother to purchase herbs to make snow  
coat.

/I wanted to go with them so I could try and say something to Katniss, but I chickened out. "I know we promised Haymitch we would do exactly what they said, but I don't think he considered this angle," Katniss whispered. "Where is Haymitch, anyways?"  
/I inquired. "Isn't he supposed to be protecting us from this kind of stuff?" "With all that alcohol in him, it'sprobably wise to have him around an open flame," Katniss replied. Then, suddenly, we burst out laughing. Right before our chariot

rolled out, Cinna came with a lighted torch. "Here we go," he said, and lit our capes. We gasped, waiting for the burn, but there was none. Cinna let out a faint sigh of relief. "It works," he said. Then he walked away, but then he turned around and  
/shouted something. It was hard to hear him over the anthem, and I only caught the word "hands." He shouted again, and this time grasped both of his hands together, and suddenly I understood what he was saying. "I think he said for us to hold hands,"  
/I told Katniss. Our hands met and we looked at Cinna, who gave us a thumbs-up. Holding hands with Katniss. Something I had never had the guts to do.

Katniss and I took the crowd by surprise. Their cries of shock immediately changed to cries of, "Katniss! Peeta! Katniss! Peeta!" Katniss was dazzling, actually smiling for once, waving to the crowd and even blowing a few kisses. Halfway there, she started  
/to loosen her grasp on me, but I clenched her hand tighter. "No," I said. I didn't want to let go of her, because I might not be able to ever hold her hand again. But I realized I needed a better reason than that. "I might fall out of this thing."  
/When we got to the training center, I had no choice but to force my stuff fingers open. Portia put out our fires with some kind of spray. "Thanks for keeping a hold of me," I said to Katniss. "I was getting kinda shakey." "It didn't show," she replied.  
/"I'm pretty sure they didn't notice anything except you. You should wear flames more often. They look good on you." I said. And then I picked up the guts to actually smile at her, and I was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek that I thought about for  
/the rest of the night.

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Prim's POV

My mother and I stood in the square, waiting for the mandatory viewing of the chariot rides. It was sure to be awful - District 12 kids almost always ended up in baggy jumpsuits with flashlights. Galefound us and scooped me up into his arms.  
The baker

also found me and gave me a loaf of bread. I tried to give it back to him, but he said that I had to accept it. So I did. The anthem played, and we turned our attention to the screens. The districts rolled by: District 1 spray painted silver and dresses  
/in sparkling outfits; District 2 dressedin gold outfits that looked like Roman Gladiators that we learned about in school; District 4 wore shimmering blue fabric that looked exactly like the sea. These were the tributes that were bound to get

more sponsors. As District 11 rolled by, dressed in red plaid shirts and overalls to represent farming, shouts of "Katniss! Peeta!" caught my attention. And there they were, and our whole district gasped when we saw them. Was the Capitol so cruel  
/that they would set tributes on _fire_ to please the crowds? But as we realized that they seemed to be in no pain, and were actually smiling and waving, we began to cheer. This was the first time District 12 made a splash at the opening ceremony.  
/Seeing them there ablaze and proud, gave us hope.

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Gale's POV

I spent the night lying on my bed, the images of Katniss's and Peeta's clenched hands flashing before my events whenever I closed them. I should have tried to tell her how I really felt about her, and how someone else has taken her. No. Katniss has never  
/had any feelings for Peeta. This was all something of the Capitols design. But still, I wish I had told Katniss how I felt about her before she was sentenced to almost certain death in the arena.

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What do you think? Please review


	8. The Avox

So sorry for the late upload, but for some reason I couldn't log into my account! I finally got it though, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Peeta's POV

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I went down to dinner, where we planned to eat, talk about our strategy, and of course, watch the recap of the chariot ride. Silent young servers brought out food and stemmed glasses of wine. I turned it down - I had tried wine once before and didn't  
like it - but everyone else accepted. Katniss gave hers back eventually though. For the dessert course, a silent redhead girl brought out a cake and lit it. It burned for a while, and then the fire went out, leaving the cake unharmed. Katniss looked at  
it questioningly. "What makes it burn?" She asked our server. "Is it alcohol, because that's the last thing I - oh, I know you!" Our server's white face paled even more, and she quickly shook her head and ran off. We all stared at Katniss. "Don't be ridiculous,  
how could you possibly know an avox?" snapped Effie. "What's an avox?" Katniss inquired. "Someone who committed a crime," said Haymitch. "They cut her tongue so she can't speak. Probably a traitor of some kind. Not likely you'd know her." "Even if you  
did, you're not to speak to one, unless it's to give an order." said Effie. "Of course, you don't really _know_ her." "No, I guess I don't...I was just..." Katniss stammered. Coming to her aid, I snapped my fingers as if I had just remembered something.  
"Delly Cartwright! That's who I was thinking of. I kept thinking she looked familiar. Then I realized; she's a dead ringer for Delly." _Delly Cartwright?_ Why did I pick her, of all people. She looked nothing like our server; she doesn't even have  
red hair. But Katniss jumped on my idea. "Of course, that's who I was thinking of! Must be the hair." "Something about the eyes, too," I added. All the adults seemed to relax. "Well, if that's all that is..." said Cinna. "And yes, the cake has spirits,  
but they've all been burned away. I ordered it in honor of your firy debut."  
After the meal, we move to the living room to watch the recap of the chariot rides. A few other tributes look nice, particularly District 4, who's shimmering blue fabric looks exactly like the sun shimmering off the sea, but they are forgotten  
the moment District 12 appears. Even we let out an "Ahhh" as Katniss and I steal the show. I now see the true brilliance of the outfit; as night falls, our glowing costumes are impossible not to look at. But I had other things on my mind.  
When Katniss tried to go to her room, I leaned against her door. "Delly Cartwright. Imagine finding her look-alike here." I said, hinting at an explanation. Katniss stared down the hall, as if trying to decide if she could tell me. There  
was also the possibility we were being recorded, but there was a solution for that. "Have you been on the roof yet?" I asked her casually. She shook her head. "Cinna showed me. The wind's a bit loud, though," I added, knowing she would translate it  
into, _no one will hear us talking._ I lead her up the staircase and into the cool night air. "I asked Cinna why they let us up here, weren't they worried that some of the tributes might jump right over the side?" "What'd he say?" She asked.  
"You can't." I replied. I reached out my hand across the edge of the roof, and once I got a few inches away from the building, there was a sharp _zap,_ and my hand was thrown back to me, stinging. "Some kind of electric field throws you back onto  
the roof." "Always worried about our safety," she says sarcastically. Then she looks around. "Do you think they're watching us now?" "Maybe," I admitted. "Come see the garden."

The wind's much louder there, and there are some wind chimes, which make it loud enough to block two people who are trying not to be heard. I looked at her expectantly. She pretended to examine a blossom that was a beautiful ombré of red tips to an orange  
center. "We were out hunting in the woods one day," she whispered. "You and your father?" I asked. "No. My friend Gale." Friend. What did she mean by that? Just a generic friend, or...something else. "Suddenly, all the birds stopped singin, except  
one. Like it was giving a warning call. And then we saw her. I'm sure it was the same girl. A boy was with her. Their clothes were tattered. They had dark circles under their eyes from no sleep. They were running as if their lives depended on it."  
She pauses for a moment, probably reliving the memory.

"The hovercraft appeared out of nowhere! I mean one momentthe sky was empty, the next it was there! It didn't make a sound, but they saw it. They dropped a net onto the girl and carried her up fast, so fast, like the elevator. They dropped some  
sort of spear onto the boy and carried him up, too. The girl screamed once, the boy's name, I think. Then it disappeared, and all the birds started singing again." "Did they see you?" I asked. "I don't think so," she replied. "You're shivering," I  
noticed. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her. For a moment she tensed, as if she was going to refuse it, but then her muscles relaxed as she accepted it. "They were from here?" I whispered. Katniss nodded. "Where do you suppose they were  
going?" "I don't know that. Or why they would leave here. Haymitch called the Avoxes traitors. Against what? It could only be the Capitol. But they had everything here. No cause to rebell." "I'd leave here," I blurted out, much louder than I had intended  
to. "I'd go home right now if they let me, but you have to admit, the food's prime." I covered. "It's getting cold. We'd better go in." Inside the done, I said, "Your friend Gale. He's the one who took your sister away at the reaping." "Yes. Do you  
know him?" She asked. "No. Hear the girls talk about him a lot. I thought he was your cousin or something. You favor each other." "No, were not related." Katniss said. "Did he come and say goodbye to you?" I asked. "Yes. So did your father. He brought  
me cookies." Katniss replied. That was news. "Really? Well, he likes you and your sister. I think he wishes he has daughters instead of a house full of boys. He knew your mother growing up." "Oh, yes, she grew up in town." Katniss replied. We gave  
up small talk after that; Katniss being admittedly bad at it, and me feeling too awkward to carry on. She gave me my coat back, and I went back to my room. As I lay on my bed, I wondered about how the girl and the boy looked as the hovercraft took  
them, what their names were, and if there was more between Katniss and Gale than she was telling me.


	9. Training Part 1

Thank you sooooo much everyone! I am so thankful for all your reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter

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Peeta's POV

I woke up the next morning and took a shower. I hated the Capitol and what they were doing, but I couldn't help but love my place of living. My bed was so soft, it felt like I was sleeping on clouds. My windows could zoom in on any part of the Capitol.  
I wished it could have shown me District 12. There was a machine that I only had to whisper any type of food from a menu on the wall beside it, and it would appear before me. After the chariot ride, I spent half the night eating warm dinner rolls  
and dipping them in hot chocolate. Now, as I stood in the shower, I experimented with the panel of buttons on the wall. The red button gave hot water, the dark blue one gushed cold, the light blue one flowed bubbles that smelled like bluebells, the  
light green one produced foam the had a scent that could only be described as smelling of springtime. A button with an arrow could expand the shower to a tub, and could even expand to the size of a swimming pool. I had to be careful, though: as I  
pushed a pink button to see what it did, I was assaulted by a tinted foam that smelled strongly of roses.

"Smell like flowers, boy," growled Haymitch as I went to breakfast. I had tried to washaway the scent by pouring on pine-scented bubbles from a dark green button, but it hadn't worked. "They should really label the buttons in the shower," I replied.  
Haymitch chuckled. "Been having problems? Although in my opinion, the shower's one of the only good things about the Capitol. It would be the only good thing except that that machine in my room can produce some of the best alcohol I've ever tasted."  
I glared at him - had he forgotten that he promised to stay sober enough to help us? He noticed my expression and haistily said, "I haven't gone near the strong stuff. Don't worry, boy, I haven't forgotten my promise." Katniss joined us, and  
while we all ate, Haymitch spoke. "All right. Training. If you like, I'll coach you separately." "Why would we want that?" asked Katniss. "Say you have a secret skill you don't want the other to know about." Haymitch said. "I don't have any skills  
\- unless you count baking bread." I said. "Sorry. I don't how about you, Katniss? I already know you're handy with a knife." Haymitch said. "Not really. But I can hunt. With a bow and arrows." She replied. "And you're good?" Haymitch asked.

After a lot of thought, Katniss replied with, "I'm all right." "She's excellent," I cut in. "My father buys her squirrels. He always comments on how her arrows never pierce the body. She hits every one in the eye. It's the same with the rabbits she sells  
to the butcher. She can even bring down deer." "What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously. "What are you doing?" I repeated. "If he's going to help you, he has to know what you're capable of. Don't underrate yourself." I told her. She shouldn't  
underrate herself; in fact, she deserved all the ratings in the world. She got mad at my statement for some reason. Her cheeks flushed up and her eyes narrowed. Anyone else would have found this look intimidating, but she always looked beautiful to  
me. "What about you? I've seen you in the market. You can lift hundred-pound sacks of flour over your head. Tell him that. That's not nothing." She snapped. _She had noticed?_ That thought struck me. Had, by chance, Katniss shared my feelings  
for her. I doubted it, but all the same...

"Yes, and I'm sure the arena will be full of bags of flour for me to chuck at people." I snapped back. "It's not the same as being able to use a weapon, you know it isn't!" "He can wrestle," she told Haymitch. "He came in second last year in our school  
competition, only after his brother." She remembered? That was news. Several girls had swooned over for weeks for that, but it always annoyed me that they only cared about me when I was famous at school. Then I wondered if it would annoy me if it  
was Katniss who had been swooning over me. But Katniss was reporting it to Haymitch as though it were simply betting tips on who would win in a fight. "What use is that?" I asked. "When have you ever heard of someone wrestling someone else to death?"  
"There's always hand-to-hand combat. All you have to do is come up with a knife and you'll at least stand a chance. If I get jumped, I'm dead!" She said, a note of hysteria rising in her voice. She noticed, and swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm.  
"But you won't get jumped," I protested. "You'll be living up in some tree, eating raw squirrels and picking off people with arrows. You know what my mother said when she came to say goodbye, as if to cheer me up?" What was I doing? Was I really telling  
Katniss and Haymitch that my mother saw me as scum? _Yes, I was_ I thought. "She said, District 12 might _finally_ have a winner this year. Then I realized she didn't mean me, she ment you!" "Oh, she ment you," Katniss said dismissively. "She  
said, 'She's a survivor, that one.' _She_ is." Katniss looked stunned for a moment, and then whispered, "Only because someone helped me." I looked at the roll she held in her hands and remembered that day from a long time ago, when I had seen  
Katniss sitting in my backyard, starving, and I burned some bread and gave it to her. It was a small guesture, really, but now I truly understood the magnitude of what I did. "People will help you in the arena. They'll be tripping over themselves  
to sponsor you." "No more than you!"

I rolled my eyes at Haymitch. "She had no idea, the effect she can have." Katniss glared at me, as though this was an insult, but I had ment it as a compliment. People found her appealing; I had heard boys talk about her in school and my father talking  
to his town friends about how she's the most amazing hunter. We sat in silence, until Haymitch said, "Well, well, well. Katniss, there's no gaurenter there will be bows in the arena, but during your private session with the game makers, show them  
what you can do. Until then, stay clear of archery. Are you any good at trapping?" "I know a few basic snares," she muttered. "That can be significant in terms of food. And Peeta," he addressed me, "Katniss's right. Never underestimate strength in  
the arena. Often physical power tilts the advantage toward a player. In te training center, there'll be weights, but don't reveal how much you can lift in front of the other tributes. The plans the same for both of you. Go to group training. Spend  
the time trying to learn something you don't know. Throw a spear. Swing a mace. Learn to tie a decent knot. Save showing what you're best at until your private sessions. Are we clear?" He asked. We nodded.

"One last thing." Haymitch added. "In public, I want you by each other's side every minute." We started to protest. Had Haymitch by chance guessed my feelings for Katniss, or was I that obvious? Haymitch banged his fist on the table. "Every minute! It's  
not open for discussion. You agreed to do what I said. You will be together, you will appear amiable to each other. Now get out! Meet Effie by the elevator at ten for training." Katniss stormed to her room and slammed the door loudly. As it slammed,  
I realized that any idea that she had ever liked me was a fantasy, and it was better to give up on it now then to keep hoping that she'd confess some declaration of love to me.

At the gym, I realized another thing: the flashy costumes were just that, costumes. Here, in simple clothes, I realized just how remote my chances of winning were. That boy from District 2 was huge, like an Ox, but even he couldn't compare with the District  
11 boy, who was at least 6'6 and looked as if he could smash in my skull with a rock. When we were dismissed, Katniss just stared at the Career Tributes as the girl from 2 picked up a knife and throw it into a dummy's heart from 50 feet. I nudged  
her with my elbow and she jumped. "Where do you want to start?" I asked her. "Suppose we tie some knots." She replied. We spent nearly an hour there, until I could make a decent snare, and Katniss could set a trap that wouldn't ensnare prey, but another  
competitor. At camouflage I truly enjoyed what I was doing. At home I frosted roses, stars, and swirls onto cakes. If I'd had the money, I would have liked to become a serious painter. Here I swirled mud, clay, and paint on my arm until Katniss asked  
me how I was doing. In response, I held up my arm to the tree we were supposed to be camouflaging ourselves into and watched it disappear.

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Hello again! Thank you for reading and please review (it really helps me out as a writer and I love reading your guys' opinions). Also, because my schedule is so busy at the moment, I'm going to update less than I did the beginning. From now on I will  
only be able to write one chapter per week. Thanks again!


	10. Training Part 2

Hello readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter of my story!

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Peeta's POV

Katniss and I sat waiting for our private sessions. Rue had just been called in, and we were no longer talking. I spent my time wondering what all the other tributes had done. The boy from one had probably thrown spears; the girl from two had definitely  
thrown knives. That girl from 5 had probably done a memory puzzle, which is the only thing I've seen her do in training. I'm not sure what Rue was doing, as I had never seen her do much fighting. She probably wouldn't receive a high score, but you  
never know. "Peeta Melark!" A voice called my name from the room. As I walked in, Katniss unexpectedly called after me, "Remember what Haymitch said about throwing the waits." "Thanks. I will. You, shoot straight." I replied. Why had she said that?  
Did she actually...

No. She wouldn't. I shoved the thought as I enter the gym. Right away, I knew I was in trouble. Almost all the game makers were chugging wine bottles, and only a few were looking at me. I ignored them and went to the weight section. The first ball I picked  
up was labeled with a "100" and I threw it at a dummy. It hit is square in the head; if it had been a human, it would have been dead. A few more heavy balls hit more dummies. I looked at the game makers. One or two were taking notes, but most of them  
were dancing around the table, singing a drinking song. Looking back, I didn't know how I hadn't heard if before.

I pushed them out of my head and headed toward the rock wall. As I pulled myself up nearly 20 feet in the air, one of the drunk game makers called up to me, "You can go now, Peeta Melark." A bunch of them cracked up, as if they had no idea how I could  
simply climb down. I left them, smoldering, thinking about how I would be lucky to scrape a 4. Really, I was about to be hauled off to almost certain death, and then didn't even have the decency to look at me.

"You won't believe-" I snapped at Haymitch as soon as I walked onto the District 12 floor. "Let me guess." He interrupted. "By the time you got in, most of the game makers were either too drunk or too bored to notice you." "How did you-" I began. "Happens  
every year," Haymitch said. "District 12 is last _and_ the least likely to produce a victor." "Well, that's no excuse!" Trilled a high voice from behind me. Effie had just entered. Then she went all pale, like she had just said something terrible.  
"Oh, dear, I'm getting much too outspoken, aren't I?" Just then, the door flew open and Katniss flew past us, crying. "Katniss!" Effie called. "Come back!" Her door slammed, and I heard the lock click. "We should go check on her," Haymitch said, and  
for the first time, I heard a bit of concern in his voice. We all stood up, but then Haymitch added, "Just me and Effie, boy. You stay here." I started to protest, but they had already left.

About 5 minutes later, they returned, shaking their heads. "Well, at least we'll see her at dinner," said Effie, her voice shaking. Haymitch didn't say anything, only turned a pear from the fruit bowl on the coffee table over in his hands. I realized  
something right there: Haymitch and Effie actually _cared_ about us. Drunken, grumpy Haymitch and overbearing, maniacal Effie _cared_. I had always thought of the Capitol citizens as Games loving, blood thirsty. Compassionate? Caring? Those  
were two words I would never have assigned to any Capitol resident. But here sat Haymitch and Effie, and I could tell that I had been wrong.

At dinner, I noticed that Katniss's eyes were red from crying. I shot her a questioning look, hoping my eyes would ask what my mouth couldn't. _What happened?_ In response, she just shook her head. Haymitch put his fork and knife down and said, "So.  
Just how bad were you guys?" Katniss stared down miserably at her soup, so I decided to go first.

"I threw the weights, butI don't think it mattered much," I said. "By the time I showed up, none of them bothered to look at me. They were singing some kind of drinking song." "And you, sweetheart?" Haymitch asked Katniss. "I shot an arrow at the  
Game makers," she said. It took a moment for that to sink in. "You...what?" "I shot an arrow at them. It's like Peeta said: I was shooting, and they were ignoring me, and I just...I lost my head. So I shot an apple out of their stupid roast pig's  
mouth." "And how did they respond?" Cinna asked slowly. "They didn't! Or I didn't see. I walked out after that." "Without being dismissed?" Effie sounded horrified. Somehow I didn't think that shooting an apple would cause this reaction from Katniss.  
There had to be something else. "What will they do to my family?" She whispered. There. That was it. Katniss loved her family more than anything else. Of course she was worried that the game makers would take what she did and punish her family for  
it. Haymitch calmed her down, though. "What happened in that room is secret," he said, "so they'd have to reveal what happened for it to have any worthwhile effect on the population. Most likely, they'll make your life hell in the arena." "Well they've  
already promised to do that." I pointed out. "Very true," said Haymitch. Katniss smiled a little. "I'll get a very low score," she said. "Scores only matter if they're very good," Portia explained. "No one pays any attention to the bad or mediocre  
ones." "What were their faces like?" Haymitch chucked. "Shocked. Ridiculous, some of them." She started to snicker. "One man tripped backwards and fell into a bowl of punch." Haymitch spat out a mouthful of stew and cracked up, which set everyone  
else off. Well, except for Effie, who frowned at Haymitch's manners, but was suppressing a smile underneath. "Well, it serves them right! Just because you come from District 12 isn't a reason to _ignore_ you _!"_ Then she clapped her hand  
over her mouth, like she had just dropped a disgusting swear word. "I'm sorry, but that's what I think," she said to no one in particular. When we had finished eating, we headed over to the couch to watch the announcement of the scores.

The anthem played on the TV, and the seal of the Capitol flashed on the screen. The boy from District 1's face appeared, followed by a score of 8. On and on it went, until it got to District 12. My face appeared. I braced myself, preparing for a low score,  
but to my astonishment, a large 8 appeared next to my face. _8?_ I had gotten as high of a score as some of the Career Tributes! Then Katniss's face was shown on the screen. I could feel her tense beside me. The highest score of the night was  
written next to her: 11. It took a moment for it to sink in. Then all at once, we started cheering, congratulating each other, thumping Katniss and me on the back. This was the first time in Hunger Games History that a District 12 tribute had scored  
as high as a career.

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Prim's POV

My mother and I stood again in the square, this time waiting for the mandatory viewing of the training scores. My days in school had been filled with wondering what Katniss had been doing. She was a fighter, yes, but I had seen the competition. I wanted  
her to win, but deep down I think I knew that her chances of survival were very slim. We were asked to turn our attention to the screens as the anthem played. Why did District 12 have to be last? Why did I have to wait through 23 tributes to see how  
my sister had done? When they showed her score, the crowd took in a collective breath. _Eleven?_ But District 12 tributes _never_ outscore careers! My mother was in a better mood after that then I had seen her in since my dad was alive. She  
took the rabbits Gale had given her and roasted them over the fire, and we ate them with salad from dandelions I had gathered earlier and fresh bakery bread. Apparently the baker promised Katniss that he would make sure I was eating. Most of my doubts  
about her winning were flushed away. She may be smaller, but if she could impress the Game Makers, then she could beat the games.

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Gale's POV

I lay on my bed, thinking about what had happened today. In the woods I had gathered greens and hunted for hours, motivated by the need for food for both my and Katniss's family, but also with the hopes that I could sell it and donate to Katniss. The  
collection Greasy Sae had been running was doing well. It wasn't much, by Capitol standards, but still, a well-timed gift could change the outcome of the games. I sold half a gallon of strawberries to the mayor, three squirrels to the baker, and a  
wild turkey to our head peacekeeper. When I walked into the Hob, I dumped half my coins into the collection tin. "If the coins keep coming in at this rate," Greasy Sae confided in me, "I'll have to get a bigger tin." Indeed, whenever I walked by the  
Hob, I could see people donating. Charles, the man who sells odd little trinkets. Bertha, the lady who sells worn-out mining tools cheap. Everyone wanted to see Katniss come home, either because they like her or were fond of her game. Then, at the  
square, it seemed like almost the whole District was celebrating after Katniss and Peeta scored an 8 and an 11. I smiled, but everyone knew that was the same as Greasy Sae practically swinging from the rafters and handing out free bowls of stew.  
/Thank you for reading. I'm so sorry for the late update, but something happened last week that made me have to put fanfiction aside for a little. I got a new puppy! Yay! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and again, please review! 


	11. The Interviews

Happy (late)Forth of July everyone! Thank you to everyone who has posted a review, or is just taking the time to read my story. It really means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Peeta's POV

I woke up extra early in the morning to make sure I could speak to Haymitch alone. I wanted to ask him something, but away from everyone else. "Haymitch?" I whispered, knocking softly on his door. There was no response. Slowly, I pushed thedoor  
open a few inches. It creaked loudly, and Haymitch flew up in bed. He brandished his knife a little before he saw me and his grip relaxed. "It's you," he snarled. "What do you want this early?" "Sorry," I whispered. "I didn't realize you were still  
asleep. I can ask you later." "No, it's alright. I'm up now," he replied. "I'll meet you in the dining room in a few minutes. Just give me some time to change."

A few minutes later Haymitch walked in, wearing a clean white shirt and brown pants. It was weird, I admit, to see him wearing something that wasn't stained with sweat, wine, or dirt. "What do you want, boy?" He asked. I took a deep breath. "I would like  
to ask for separate coaching," I let out. Haymitch raised his eyebrows but only said, "alright." I filled my plate with stew and rolls. I only had a day before the arena, and I had to keep my strength up.

"Alright," said Haymitch about an hour later. It was time for our coaching session. Katniss was with Effie; I was with Haymitch. "What's your approach going to be?" "Likeable," I responded. "Crack a few jokes. Play up the baker's son act. Get them to  
like me." I paused. "Maybe..." "What?" Haymitch pressed. "Well...the thing is..." I stammered. "There is something I could tell the crowd...something that would make them take pity on me...but I don't know if I can tell them..." "What is it, boy?"  
Growled Haymitch. He was starting to become impatient. "There's this girl..." I began. "Ah. A love story," said Haymitch. "That always pleases the crowd. So what angle are you going for? Hope, that you'll make it home to her? Tragedy, that you might  
never see her again?" "Tragedy, I guess." I said. "Even if I win, that won't help me." He looked confused for a moment, and then seemed to connect the dots. "Ah. Let me guess. Katniss." I nodded. "Do you think I should tell them?" "Yes." Haymitch  
was certain. "But only if your only wish is to get Katniss out alive. Because if you kill her, then no one in the Capitol will sponsor you, and no one in the district will either." "It is." "Good. The Capitol audience eats this stuff up."

At lunch, I refused to look at Katniss. How would she react when she heard? Would she be mad? Happy? Excited? Betrayed? Could she maybe share my feelings?

With Effie, she dressed me in a suit and had me practice walking, talking, and smiling. "I must say," she chirped, "you are _so_ much better than this than Katniss. She kept glowering, as if they were about to sentence her to _death!_ Can you _imagine?_ "  
This caused me to scowl. "What?" Effie asked. "Was it something I said?"

Hours later, I waited behind the stage. Katniss looked dazzling, in a gown made of jewels that flashed when she even made the slightest movement. I was wearing an elegant tuxedo with a black tie that had flames on it. The tips of the flames had little  
jewels, so our outfits complimented each other's. On the stage, the anthem began to play, and we walked out onto the stage. Caesar bounced out, in his lips and hair powdered blue, and began talking. I wasn't really listening to him - I was too nervous.  
I would be going last. Katniss was terrific during her interview. The crowd loved her. Before I knew it, they were calling Peeta Mellark! And I'm walking up to Caesar and shaking his hand. "So, Peeta, the Capitol is quite a change from District 12.  
Katniss has already told us that the Lamb Stew is the most impressive thing we have." A big laugh from the audience. "Well, for me, it's not the stew, but the bread," I said. "The bread?" Asked Caesar. "Well, I'ma bakers son," I explain. "So  
of course is notice the bread. But for me, the bread makes me think of the Tributes that came from the district. You see, District 2 bread has a very thick crust, like how District 2 tributes always know how to defend themselves. District 5's bread  
is..." I continued on like that for a while. The audience loved it, they cheered, laughed at my jokes, hooted and hollered. "And finally District 12 has drop biscuits. The name says it all; District 12 Tributes were made to just be brought in and  
dropped out of the games immediately." A roar from the crowd. "But," I continued, "if a drop biscuit is made properly, it has layers, flavors, and can be one of the best parts of the meal." Again, the crowd roared. They roared about how surely, District  
12 had made proper drop biscuits. "Well, I'm sure the crowd enjoyed all that," said Caesar, and the audience screamed its approval. "So, for two starving, young tributes from District 12, food is the most impressive thing the Capitol has to offer.  
How about we branch out a little?" He asked. "For a District covered in coal, I'm sure the showers are a nice addition to your lives. But of course," he added, "we don't want the pair on fire anywhere near running water, do we?" The crowd laughs.  
"Oh, the showers are wonderful," I said. "But there's just one problem. You really need to label the buttons, or you'll find yourself being assaulted by strong-scented foam. Tell me, do I still smell like roses?" We have an exchange sniffing each  
other. Caesar has put on too much pine Cologne, and the smell almost makes me gag, but I hold it in.

Then Caesar asks me if I have a girlfriend back home. It's the moment. The moment where I can win the crowd over. I shake my head, making it as unconvincing as possible. "Come on, handsome lad like yourself, there's got to be someone!" Caesar prompts.  
"Well, there is this one girl," I said. "I've had a crush on her as long as I can remember, but I don't think she even knew I was alive until the reaping." Sounds of sympathy from the crowd. "Does she have another fella?" Asked Caesar. "I don't think  
so, but a lot of boys like her." This was true. James, a boy from the Seam, Vico, the son of the Doctor, Kink, one of my friends, and even Gale all had their eye on her. "Well, here's what you do. You win. You go home. She can't turn you down then,  
eh?" I knew Caesar was trying to be helpful. "I don't think that will work in my case," I said. "Why ever not?" Caesar sounded bewildered. "Because..." My heart was thumping in my chest. "Because..." It was now or never. "Because she came here with  
me."

A moment of silence from the crowd. Then I can see Katniss on every screen, her cheeks pink, her face in her hands. "Oh, that is a real piece of bad luck," said Caesar.

After the interviews, I got on an elevator with the District 2 Tributes and the boy from 6. When I got off, I felt a pair of hands roughly shove me into an urn. I fell on it and it shattered. Some of the shards got stuck in my hands. "Ouch! What was that  
for?" I snapped at whoever had just shoved me. "You had no right-" Katniss loomed over me. "No right to go saying those things about me!" Just then Effie and Haymitch came. "What happened? Did you fall?" Asked Effie frantically. "Yeah, after she shoved  
me." "Shoved you?" Haymitch and Katniss bickered. I really didn't hear that much of it, I wasted busy pulling shards of pottery out of my hands.

* * *

Prim's POV

I sat on the couch with my mother, ready to watch the interviews. Caesar was there again, his face blue this time. The boy from one plays up a humorous angle; the girl from two is sweet but arrogant; the girl from eleven is a scared yet confident tribute.  
Katniss was dazzling, and had the crowd from the start. She cracked a joke with her very first answer and had a dazzling finish with her twirling gown, looking as though she was being engulfed in flames. Then it's Peeta's turn. With his confession  
of love, both of them complimented each other. Katniss was sparky and Peeta mild, and you could just see them together. When Peeta confessed his love, it made Katniss more desirable, and with her out of his reach, it made him pitied and also desirable.  
/Gale's POV

I watched the interviews with disgust. The Katniss I saw on the screen wasn't the Katniss I knew. The Katniss I knew wasn't giggly, or girly. She was fierce, not someone who twirled around in pretty dresses. What had the Capitol done to her? I thought  
I saw a bit of the real her when she talked about Prim, but then Peeta came along and confessed his love for her. Why? Why hadn't I said something before? She could have been mine. I could have said what was on my mind years ago. Now she's a bakers  
sons crush, the love of his life. She was blushing. _Blushing._ She never blushed around me. I spent the whole night in the woods, remembering all we had done together and wishing she were mine.

* * *

Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it. And again, thank you to everyone who leaves comments. It's really fun and encouraging for me to read them


	12. The Night Before

Hi readers! My apologies in advance. This is going to be a shorter chapter, because I'm on a road trip and trying not to use all my today, I'm going to try and get back to my one update per week schedule. Ihope you enjoy!

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Peeta's POV

I sat on my bed, my hands stinging, my head reeling. What was going to happen? Would I die tomorrow, or would I be the sole survivor? What if it was just Katniss and me left in the arena? I would never kill her - but would she kill me? How would things  
play out? My room seemed stuffy. I couldn't breath. I desperately needed sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw terrifying images. A knife sticking out of a back. A wall of fire descending on me. Katniss, pointing an arrow at my heart. All  
ways it could end. I couldn't breath. I needed to get out, if only for an hour. Silently, I slipped out of my room and padded up the stairs to the roof. For a while I just sat in the garden, breathing fresh air for a while. It was calming, to sit  
among the tinted blossoms, the air slightly perfumed with daisies. I plucked one of the nearby blossoms and stroked its velvety petals with my fingers, which helped reduce my anxiety. What I really wished for was a pen, so I could draw it. Frosting  
the cakes had always been kind of like therapy for me; it calmed me, relaxed me.

After a while I went to go watch the party on the streets of the Capitol. All the lights were on; there was music and dancing. Sometime around midnight someone brought out the traditional District fireworks. One firework would be let off for each District,  
and each one would be a unique color. Silver and pink for one. Gold for two. Grey for three. Blue for four. And so on. It's the same every year, except I notice that this year, they've replaced the usual black firework for twelve with a red and gold  
one to resemble flames, I guess. Each firework brings on a huge cheer from the crowd. Below, I'm sure they're betting on who will die in the bloodbath.

I don't want tomorrow to come. I don't want to die. But what scares me more than death is the idea that I might lose myself in the arena. Plenty of decent people have been driven to betray, to murder their friends in the arena. Would that happen to me?  
Could I be driven to kill someone I didn't know, tiny Rue, or even Katniss? My immediate reaction is no, I would never do that. But if I thought about it, if it was between me and another, and only one could live, who knows what I would do under pressure?

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice Katniss behind me until she spoke. "It's a bit late," she said. "Couldn't sleep?" I asked. She nodded. "Thinking about your family?" "No," she admitted. "What about you?" "I just couldn't turn my mind off.  
I just keep thinking..." "What?" "Well, it's hard to explain. I just keep wishing I could show the Capitol that they don't own me. Does that make any sense?" She shook her head. "I don't want them to change me in the arena. I want to show them that  
I'm more than just a piece in their games."

"But you're not," she said cautiously. "And Peeta, I'm sorry, but who cares?" "I care!" I snapped at her. "I mean, what else am I allowed to care about at this point?" "Care about what Haymitch said. About staying alive!" I gave her a sad smile. "I've  
never been a contender in these games." "If you want to spend the last hours of your life planning some noble death in the arena, be my guest. I want to spend mine in District 12!" "And I wouldn't be surprised if you do. Give my mother my best, will  
you?" She nodded and went back inside. I turned back around and watched a parade float past me on the streets for about another hour then went back inside and tried to sleep. Images of myself, bleeding to death; a group of carnivorous rabbits preying  
on my flesh; and, most horrifying of them all, tiny Rue on the ground, screaming, as I slit her throat weave their way into my dreams.

* * *

Prim's POV

I couldn't sleep. I felt as though I might never sleep again. Tomorrow the games would begin, and Katniss might never be seen again. The next time she's in District 12, she might be in a box, still, unmoving. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Katniss,  
lying on the ground in a pool of blood, or else drowning, or being tortured by Career Tributes. I crawled into bed with my mother, who was also still up. "Mama?" I asked. "What, Primrose?" She replied. "Do you think Katniss is going to die?"

It was a tough question, and I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer. Mama took a deep breath and said, "I don't know, Primrose. The best thing we can do is hope that she makes it back alive."

* * *

Thank you for reading. Next week: the games begin! 


	13. Let the Games Begin

Hi! I'm back!Quick heads-up: next week I am going on vacation and will not be able to upload a chapter. So I am including what would have been next weeks chapter into this one. And now, let the games begin!

* * *

Peeta's POV

Portia woke me up early. My stomach was twisting uncomfortably and I was shaking. This could be my last day on earth. Would I be sent home today in a box; still and cold? Portia lead me onto a hovercraft. When Igrabbed the latter, it froze me to  
it. I suppose it wasn't supposed to be an aggressive gesture, but I was so jumpy that it felt like they were trapping me indefinitely. When I was finally inside the hovercraft, I still couldn't move. Panic charged through me. Had something gone  
wrong? Would I be stich here forever? A young woman came with a syringe.

"This is just your tracker, Peeta. It's much easier to insert if you're still." Why couldn't they let me go? I could be still on my own. Why do they need to control my very motions? How could I show them that I'm not a piece in their games if they won't  
even let me move? Once the tracker was in, I was released. It caught me off-guard, and I fell to the floor.

There was a table lined with beef stew, pork chops, fancy rolls, biscuts, peas and carrots, gravy, potatoes, wild pheasant, a soup with clear broth and beautiful blossoms, tiny birds filled with orange sauce, and more. I would have eaten some, but even  
the rich aroma was making me nauseous. I was so nervous I didn't think my stomach was up for much.

"Eat," encouraged Portia. "You'll need to keep your strength up, and there might not be much food in the arena." I settled on a pot of broth with small vegetables swimming inside it. It was about the lightest thing I could find. Really, it was delicious,  
flavors of chicken, carrot, lemon, and spices weaving their way in and out of my mouth, but I could have been eating sand for all I cared. When the pot was dry, I began breaking off bits of roll and dipping them in hot chocolate, like I had done so  
long ago on the train. All of the food threatened to come back up, but I forced myself not to vomit. I would need all my strength in the arena.

Portia gave me the clothes I would be wearing in the arena. "It's designed to reflect heat," she explained as I put it on. "There will probably be some cold nights. Does everything fit?" I nodded, too terrified to speak. For the rest of the trip we sat  
in silence. I didn't think I could eat any more, so I slowly sipped ice water instead. Finally, we made our way down into the launch room. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then a voice ordered me to step inside my tube. Portia gave my hand one  
last comforting squeeze before the tube was sealed and I began to rise into the arena.

* * *

Gale's POV

I was in the woods, sitting on a hill. I was supposed to be in the square, but I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand watching as the Capitol presented the slaughtering of children as a game show. So instead I sat here, in my own silent form of protest,  
and no one could stop me.

Actually, someone could, and he was sprinting to me right now. "Gale!" cried my little brother Rory. "Gale!" He caught up, panting. "Gale, where have you been? The games are going to start, and you're not there! The peacekeepers are going to take us into  
custody if you're not there in ten minutes!" How could I have been so stupid? I hadn't considered what they might do to my family if I wasn't there! Scooping up the wild turkey I had shot on my way, I sprinted to the fence with Rory at my heels. We  
made it to the square with just a few minutes before the games began. Head Peacekeeper Cray was there, "guarding" my family. He lowered his gun as he saw me and Rory approaching, and I gave him the turkey for good measure. Caesar Flickerman was on  
stage, talking with his guest commentators about betting odds. "So, Chanceon," he addressed a man with blonde hair and surgically modified eyes that were the color of silver and quite literally glowed, "at the beginning you said that District 12 wouldn't  
stand a chance. Well, what do you say now?" A headshot of Katniss and Peeta appeared on the screen."I stand by what I said," the man called Chanceon said. "These District 12 tributes may be tougher than all of the others, but even they'll be  
pulverized by those District 2 folk." As he said this, a headshot of a boy, labeled Cato, and a girl, labeled Clove, replaced the pictures of Katniss and Peeta."I'm going to have to disagree with you, Chanceon," said a man with his  
body dyed lilac and his hair orange. "I think those District 12 kids stand a decent chance this year." Katniss and Peeta's photos were back. "If I could bet on someone, I'd bet on that girl. She's got spunk." _Yes, she does_ I thought. "Oh, Driksin,"  
said a woman with what appeared to be wings on her back, "Katniss may have spunk, but I would bet on that boy from District 11 myself." Katniss and Peeta's photos were again replaced, this time by a huge, dark-skinned boy named Thresh. On the bottom  
of the screen there was a clock counting down the time until the games began. Three minutes...two minutes...one minute...

* * *

Prim's POV

I stood by my mother in the square, waiting for the games to begin. The Capitol was airing Caesar talking with his guest commentators. They did a special where they interviewed some of the hit stylists, which included Districts 1, 2, 4, and 12. They broke  
down how they came up with the chrrriot ridecostumes, what they used to make them, how much time it took, and so on. District 1 had ground silver woven into the silk used. District 2 had worn armor plated with gold. District 4 stylists had spent  
hours watching the sea. And District 12 had used synthetic fire. Then, after a long time of people discussing betting odds, the anthem began to play, and I knew that the games had begun.

* * *

Peeta's POV

I stood, examining my terrain. Forest one way. A lake another. A field behind me. Dazzling sunlight covering every area. Beside me, tributes poised themselves to run, either to the Cornicopia or away. And Katniss, several tributes away, looked confused  
on what to do.

I knew what I was going to do. Katniss, the viewers, everyone would hate me. But it was the only way I knew I could keep Katnissalive. I had thought about it all last night. I had pondered, questioned, and almost backed out. But now, I knew there  
was no turning back. Thirty seconds to go...twenty...ten...

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Katniss positioning her feet to run to a silver bow at the heart of the Cornicopia. No. She couldn't run in. She would die. No question. The careers hate her because they outscores her in training. Quickly I shook my  
head. The gong sounded and she fumbled. I didn't get to see where she went. I had already sprinted in.

On my way to the Cornicopia, I scooped up a small pack and a dagger. If my plan didn't work, I'd still need supplies. Twenty feet from the horn, the boy from Four stepped in my way. He was big - not massive like the boys from 2 or 11 - but big, and was  
armed with a knife he must have also picked up on his way. "Hey, lover boy!" He called out to me. I saw the sun gleam off his knife as he thrust it toward me. Instinctively, I jumped out of the way, but as I did a weird twist in the air to avoid the  
blade, I landed funny and pain shot up my right leg. I fell to the ground and knew that if I didn't do anything, I would be dead in seconds. Quickly, I sat up and jabbed my knife at whatever I saw first.

The blade sank deep into the boy's liver. He let out a howl of pain and rage as he attempted to pull it out, but he dropped his knife, which I quickly retrieved and stuck into his throat. He let out one last cry, then fell to the ground, blood trickling  
from his neck. He was dead.

I stepped back, realizing what I had just done. It was my worst fear; I lost myself, had become a piece in the games. It was what I had wished never happened. _What was I thinking? I don't even know his name and I killed him!_

 __

Footsteps behind me brought me back to my senses. I yanked the dagger from the boy's liver and turned to see the District 2 tributes and the girl from 4 staring at me, weapons raised. Raising my dagger, I pointed it at each of them in turn, knowing that  
it would provide little protection. "You can kill me," I said, my injured leg shaking as I eyed the sword the boy from 2 was holding wearily. "But I'll take as many of you down with me. I can help you," I said. Haymitch was probably cursing me out  
right now. Teaming up with Careers? No tribute from District 12 had ever done that. The boy from 2 seemed to be considering my offer, then he lunged with his sword. I ducked just in time, but I felt the tip tear through the delicate skin on my cheek.  
Warm blood trickleddown my face, but I refused to show pain. When he lunged again, I brought my dagger up and barely managed to deflect it. My injured leg shook. He could kill me right now. But instead, he lowered his sword. "All right," he  
said gruffly. "But under one condition." "What?" I asked. "That you lead us to _her._ "

I didn't need to ask who _her_ was. It was obvious. "Deal," I said, shaking his hand. "Cato," the boy said. "Peeta," I replied. The two girls were staring at the dead boy on the ground. Yet there was no sorrow in their eyes. "He was never a contender  
in these games," spat the girl from 4. "He was _weak!_ " "Indeed, Maya," said the girl from 2. Disgust was etched on her face. "Come on, lets go help Glimmer and Marvel." The girl from 2 - Clove, I hear Cato call her - picked up several throwing  
knives, while Maya reached for the nearby scythe. Armed, they ran out into the thick of the fight. "Come on," growled Cato. A smaller boy - District 8, I believe - was scrambling to grab a large pack and some weapons. Without missing a beat, Cato  
pushed his sword through his head and pulled it out, slick and red with blood.

I was shocked. Cato hadn't even hesitated before he killed a boy. _You killed a boy to,_ said an unpleasant voice in my head. I pushed it away. Did I really want an alliance with him? _You've already committed_ said the voice again. _Besides, maybe you belong with them. You've proven just now how you're hardly more then a piece in the games just now._ I  
shook my head fiercely to clear it. I needed to focus. Just because I was allied with the Careers didnt mean I have to kill anyone else. For all I know, I had been accepted _because_ I killed him. When Cato fought me, he must have been checking  
my fighting skills. By killing another tribute, I must have shown skill that they admired. But if that's how they choose allies, did I want an alliance with them?

It was too late to turn back, and for my plan to work, I needed to gain the Careers trust. Picking up a nicer knife than the makeshift dagger I had been using - the new one had a blade of steel and had a nice gold plated handle - and pocketing my dagger,  
I ran into the fight. Maya, the girl from 4, had lost her scythe somehow and was now without a weapon as she battled a girl who I think was from District 3. "Maya! Heads up!" I called as I tossed the dagger. She caught it without taking her eyes off  
her opponent. The moment it was in her hand, she slit the girl's throat. "Thanks," she hissed, tossing back the knife and picking up her fallen scythe and the pack the girl had been carrying.

For what seemed like hours, we battled at the Cornicopia. Thankfully, I did not have to kill anyone, but I had to watch as the Careers slaughtered almost half the playing field, which was almost as horrific. Clove throwing knives into the backs, lungs,  
and skulls of her opponents; Cato cutting through people with his sharp blade; Maya using her scythe. I had always known a scythe to be a farming tool, but Maya used it to reap blood, not grains. Apperantly for the games the Capitol can enhance weapons,  
because I'm sure no scythe cuts to the bone if it only just grazes you.

By the end of the bloodbath the amount of dead bodies is overwhelming. I meet the other Careers - Glimmer and Marvel - and together we grab all the remaining weapons and supplies and then head to the lake to make camp. We look through the packs and divide  
everything equally. When night falls, I leave with the other Careers to go hunting with a dark green backpack filled with a loaf of bread, a small medical bag, the small dagger I had from the bloodbath. In my hand I held the steel knife I had found.  
The moment I picked up that knife, something changed in me, and I didn't like the change. The knife could kill anyone, and for a moment I had the urge to go slashing at all tributes that stood in my way to victory. Maybe I wasn't more then a piece  
in the games. If so much as a knife could change me in such a drastic way, how would the rest of the games change me?

* * *

Whew! That chapter was a lot longer than I intended. Anyways, please review (I love reading them) and thank you so much for reading! I seriously couldn't ask for better fans. See you in two weeks!


	14. Losing Yourself

TheI'm back! Did you miss me? :) before I begin, I would like to dedicate this chapter to fellow fanfiction writer and my friend AlwaysPeetaM. She always encourages me and gives me excellent feedback and suggestions. She'salso writing a hunger  
games fanfiction called 'What Awaits Ahead' and I would encourage you all to go check it out.

* * *

Peeta's POV

I trouped down to the lake with the other Careers. "Who's the new guy?" asked a stunningly beautiful girl from District 1. "Peeta. He's going to help us find _her,_ " Cato said. The girl looked me up and down. "Glimmer," she said, sticking her hand  
out. I shook it. "Marvel. District 1," said the tall, handsome boy next to her. Their district was obvious to me. Not only had I already met the tributes from 2 and 4, but it's rumored that in District 1 anyone with a flaw is surgically modified.  
Not like in the Capitol, where the people are made grotesque, but just enough so that eyes are beautiful shades of blue, green, or chocolate brown; hair is silky; skin is perfection. Some of its genetics, but very few people are born with flawless  
looks. In District 12 even the thought of modification is horrific. I don't like to think of what they're probably saying about me back home. Probably that I'm a horrible, nasty traitor who...

No. I pushed home out of my mind as we reached the lake and lay our supplies out. All together we had 3 swords, several knives, 4 spears, a scythe, and a bow with a sheath of arrows. In terms of food we had several packs of dried fruits and meats,  
along with enough fresh food to last us for weeks. Cato tossed me a small dark green pack which I stashed a pack of dried pineapple, some crackers, and a bag of dried fish. I zipped my dagger into the front pocket and put my knife in my belt.

"So," said Cato, as Clove finished lining her jacket with knives. "Here's the plan." I could tell he would be the leader of this group. He was solid muscle and just seemed like the obvious choice. "Our biggest threats are Thresh and Katniss. We don't  
know much about Thresh's strategy. But," he looked at me, "I'm sure lover boy here can tell us all about the girl."

This was it. Why they needed me here. Of course, I wouldn't betray Katniss. I couldn't betray her. But I needed to tell them enough, or they would kill me. "She can hunt," I began, "so food won't be an issue for her. That is, if she has weapons." "She's  
got a knife," Clove said bitterly. "Okay. She's also clever, so it'll be hard to lure her into a trap. It isn't in her nature to get rid of those weaker than her. If she sees a fire, she wouldn't attack. Most likely, she's in the woods." They all  
looked at me, waiting for more. "That's all," I finished, somewhat lamely. Cato stared at me, trying to decide if he should believe me or not. Finally, he looked away. "Alright," he growled. "Did anyone see where Thresh went?" "He ran off into this  
huge field about half a mile from here," said Glimmer. "Okay," said Cato. "Here's the plan. We set up camp here. That should take about another hour. Then we go to the field. If we can't find Thresh, we go to the woods. We spend the night hunting."  
"But we have all this food right here," I protested. Everyone turned and stared at me again. "Not for food, idiot," spat Maya. "Other tributes!" Oh. I could feel my face growing warm. To hide this, I grabbed a nearby empty bottle and began filling  
it with lake water. By the time I was done purifying it, everyone else was setting up camp. There were some tents and a large tarp that were being used for shelters. I walked over and helped Cato and Marvel tie the tarp from the mouth of the Cornicopia  
to a nail driven into the ground. All in all, it wasn't a bad little camp. When we were done, we each grabbed a pack that we had filled and began to walk to the field.

After about 6 minutes, we came to the edge of knee-high grains. For a moment we all just stared at it. Then Glimmer spoke up. "Does this make anyone else...uneasy?"

Now that she mentioned it, the field had an oddly sinister look about it. The light brown plants seemed like they could be hiding anything: poisonous snakes, holes 10 feet deep, a bog that was filled with acid instead of mud. "Yeah," I said. "C'mon, let's  
forget about Thresh for now and go to the woods. There'll be more tributes, and Katniss is probably there." Cato nodded, and then began to trek to the woods.

We had been walking on crunchy pine needles for only a few minutes when the cannons began to blast. One shot for each dead tribute. BOOM...BOOM...BOOM...

On and on it went, and my gut twisted each time the cannons blasted. I knew that I had caused one of those shots to be fired. After the eleventh shot, the forest became still again. Birds began to sing. A wasp buzzed on by. The air was filled with the  
scents of pine, soil, and wildflowers. It looked exactly the same. But it wasn't. Eleven tributes were dead. Eleven children would never see their families. Eleven children were taken from the world. _And you killed one of them,_ said a voice  
in my head. _You caused one of them to die. You're no better then the rest. Katniss was right. You're no more than a piece in the games._

 __

"Hey! Lover Boy!"

Cato's call jerked me back into reality. The rest of them were standing 15 feet away, staring at me. "You coming?" "Yeah," I said, pushing the voice out of my head and pulling myself together. "Wonder who's dead," said Glimmer. "Arroyo," said Maya immediately.  
Her face seemed indifferent, but there was a hint of sadness beneath it. My gut twisted again. Arroyo must have been the boy from 4. The boy I killed. What had I done? He had a family back home. Maya could be his sister, or his girlfriend, or his  
best friend. And I had killed him. I remembered Maya's fury as she called him weak. Was her fury aimed at her dead partner, or at me?

"That girl from 3 is dead too," said Maya. "I stuck the ones from 6 and that guy from 8 myself," said Cato. "I got the one from 5," said Clove. "Glimmer and I got the ones from 9," said Marvel. "That's only 8," I said. "Well, we'll see who's in the sky  
tonight," said Maya. "C'mon, lets go."

We trekked on for hours without running into another tribute. We did, however, run into a burrow of fat rabbits. Clove managed to throw her knives into three of them before the rest scattered. For dinner that night we roasted the rabbits and ate them  
along with some crackers and the dried pineapple I had brought. The rabbit was really delicious - it's meat was rich, gamey, and grease and juices flowed from it when I bit into it. The pine branches we had cooked it over had given it a nice seasoning.  
Licking my fingers, I stood up just as the anthem started to blast.

Now we knew who had been killed. Would Katniss be up there? I doubted it - if one of the Careers had killed her, they would have boasted about it - but what if Thresh had killed her? Or a wild animal? Or could she have eaten something poisonous?

The first face in the sky was the girl from 3. Then Arroyo, from 4. Another wave of guilt crashed over me. Out of the corner of my eye I see Maya. She does her best not to show her sadness, but her sea-greeneyes betray her. The rest of her looks  
ready for battle - muscular frame, lean and fast, long, black hair pulled back into a ponytail - but her eyes still cannot hide the sadness that she feels for her lost partner.

Next up is the boy from 5, followed by the two from 6. Both from boy from 8. Both from 9. There's just one more left. I hold my breath. _Is it Katniss? Please, don't let it be Katniss, don't let it be Katniss..._

 __

When I see it's a girl with a braid, my heart skips a beat. But then I take a closer look and see the number 10, not 12. _So Katniss survived,_ I think. My heart rate slows down a little.

Cato picked up a torch. "We're going hunting," he snarled. I open my pack and find that someone's put a small, silver flashlight inside it. On the end there's a black button. I press it. It's the most powerful flashlight I've ever seen. Even the ones  
that people take into the mines aren't this powerful. I can see an ant crawl across a leaf 15 yards away. I turn it off again. Now I'm engulfed in darkness. After the anthem, the game makers seemed to have almost pulled a switch that turned of all  
the lights in the arena. Clove and Marvel don't grab torches or flashlights. Instead they put on a pair of dark glasses. I don't see why they would be much help - wouldn't that make it harder to see? - but before I can ask, Cato's already leading  
us away.

After hours of aimlessly trecking through the woods, Maya pointedto the sky. "Look!" She called. Fifty yards away, smoke is wafting up through the trees. "C'mon!" Cato yelled. The six of us set off at a run, crashing through the undergrowth, branches  
whipping our faces. By the fire there's a female tribute- from 8, I think - who's just woken up. Catos already looming over her before she can rub her eyes. For a moment she just stared at him, then her eyes slowly go from his face to his chest, down  
his arm, and to the sword in his hand. The silver blade gleamedmenacingly as the first rays of sunlight began to break through the branches. At first she seemed lost for words, but then she caughther breath and whisperedone word.  
"Please."

Cato began to chuckle, then threw his hard back and laughed. "You think your words will save you, girl?" He asked. Then he leaned down and whispered something in her hear. I couldn't hear it, but whatever it was, it made her eyes grow wide with terror  
and alarm. Her scream was cut short by Cato's sword, now gleaming scarlet as he pulled it out of her side. I watched, horrified, as her blood began to pool on the forest floor. I turned away and began to walk with the other Careers, but the image  
of the dying girl was still stuck in my mind.

After walking about 20 yards, Marvel stops short. "Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" He asked. "She's dead," said Cato indifferently. "I stuck her myself." "So where's the cannon?" Asked Glimmer. "Someone ought to go back and check." "In telling  
you, she's dead!"

As they argue, I hear a soft rustling in the tree above me. No one else heard it, but I look up to see what caused it. There, 15 feet above us, sits Katniss. She doesn't see me glance up - her eyes are glued on Cato - but if we stay here much longer,  
someone else is going to notice her. "We're wasting time," I say. "I'll go back and then we can move on." "Alright, lover boy," sneers Clove.

Cato was wrong. She wasn't dead. Instead the girl from 8 sits here, desperately trying to stop the flow of blood from her side. As I approached, she looked up at me with desperate eyes. How could I kill someone like this? I could just leave her here.  
She'd die anyways. But who knows how long that would take? Besides, the longer I stay here, the more likely Katniss will be spotted. I drew my knife, but still I hesitated. Could I really do this? But then Clove's sneering face swam to the surface  
of my thoughths, and a need to prove myself to the Careers arose. Without thinking, I took my knife and slit her throat.

Almost immediately I doubled back in horror. The girl looked up at me in despair as shedesperately grabbed at her throat. But it was too late. I had done it again. _What are they doing to me?_ I asked myself. _Why am I doing this?_ Slowly,  
I made my way back to the Careers. "Was she dead?" Cato asked. "No," I reply. "But she is now." The cannon booms in affirmation. As we walk away, I can't help but quickly glancing back at Katniss. She's staring at me. At the Careers. At six pieces  
in the games.

* * *

Prim's POV

I sat down at the lunch table with my friends Sandi and Millie. We were each holding a tray of mush provided by the school. It tasted like nothing, but you don't turn down food in District 12. This food wasn't nearly enough to live on, though; if you  
can get past the pastey texture and the awful smell, there's hardly more than two mouthfuls. For months after my Dad died, this was all Katniss and I ate - when there was any. Sometimes the Capitol forgets to send grain, or they don't care. Very few  
people have enough food to spare to bring their own lunch.

The Capitol had provided two screens so that we can all watch the games in school. They've created a short recap of the highlights for us to watch during lunch. The screens flicker to life and the anthem starts playing. On the screen the seelof  
the Capitol blazed for a moment, then there's Caesar Flickerman with his blue hair and guest commentators. There's a screen behind them to show what they're talking about. "So," said Caesar. Shall we discuss the most puzzling tribute this year: Peeta?"

Peeta. I was up half the night pondering him. I had no doubt that his love for Katniss is real. When she came to pick me up, I could see him staring at her from across the yard. When Katniss and I went to the bakery, his blue eyes could be found staring  
at her from behind doors or across the shop. So why did he join the Careers? No tribute from District 12 has ever done that before.

People are viewing it as an act of treason against the district. His family is suffering for it. People are avoiding the bakery, buying second-class bread from the Seam or the Hob. Peeta's older brother Rye, who is usually surrounded by a group of friends,  
walks the halls alone.

I don't want to watch the games. I'd much rather go to the library and work on my schoolwork. But the other screen has been placed there. I'm better off here. I have my friends, in case the worst happens.

The guest commentators have quite a lot to say on the matter. He's got a plan, he and Katniss worked it out together, he's insane...

Caesar broughtup a point that caughtmy attention. "Watch his eyes here," he said. On the screen behind him, Peeta - now in slow motion- glances up at Katniss in a tree, but keeps quiet. "He obviously sees her," Ceasar said. "But he keeps quiet."  
"He's got conflicting emotions," said one commentator with enlarged eyes and spiky purple hair. "He wants to be in with the Careers, but he really loves her at the same time." She then began talkingabout the brain of a 16-year-old boy: how his  
hormones aren't yet stabilized, how his adrenaline about the games could have impacted all his decisions so far. I don't pay much attention to her, but I still think about it all throughout class. I had a hard time focusing on my worksheet.

 _Coal occurs at depths 180-300 feet..._

 __

Why has he teamed up with the Careers?

 _But because people have been mining here for generations..._

 __

And he's killed two other tributes! Why?

 _It is rare for our miners to find anything above 200 feet..._

 __

He could have turned Katniss in but didn't

 _The lowest point in our mines is currently 317 feet..._

 __

What are his motives?

 _A point that could be considered dangerous..._

 __

 __

I walked home alone after school. My mother was making tea over the fire. She doesn't say it, but she's in worse shape than I am. "How was school?" She asked me. "Fine," I said. "We learned about the coal mining process." She poured me a cup of tea, and  
we reviewedwhat I learned for a while. Neither of us mentioned the games. Or Katniss. Or Peeta.

Buttercup caneup and curledup in my lap. I remember the day I found him. It was about three weeks before Dad was behind the Hob, a scrawny little thing,starving and covered in coal dust. Pity had overtaken me, and  
I picked him up and carried him home.

"What is that thing?" Katniss asked the moment I walked through the door. "A cat," I said. "My cat."

"Prim, were not keeping that thing."

"Why not?"

"Dad's got a hard enough time feeding four of us. Besides, look at that thing! He's got tons of vermin, I bet."

"Please, Katniss!"

"Prim!"

"Please?"

"No."

"Please, please, please, please, _please?_ "

"Oh, alright."

Dad found a bucket tha Mom filled with water. Katniss tried to trap him in there, but Dad walked in and talked with her. After mom and I scrubbed his pelt clean, I discovered his fur was a soft yellow, not grey, like I had thought. He looked at me with  
grass-green eyes, and at once I knew the perfect name for him.

"So what are you going to call it?" Katniss asked during dinner.

"Buttercup."

" _Buttercup?"_

 __

"Yeah! Look at him! His fur looks exactly like those soft yellow petals, and his green eyes are the color of leaves!"

"Prim, it looks like a rat."

"You leave him alone!"

Now Buttercup looks at me with his pretty green eyes and meows softly. "Sorry, Kitty," I said, "Katniss isn't hereto feed you anymore. You've got to catch your own mice."

Out of nowhere, I startedcrying. "Oh, Prim, what's the matter?" Asks my mother gently. "It's not fair!" I wailed. "Why did they have to take her?" Mom puts her arm around me. "Primrose, it's okay to be sad. I miss Katniss very much too. But you  
Know what she'd want us to do if she were here?"

"Keep our heads high," I said. It's what she told me every day after Dad died. I could practically here her saying it as she straightened my shirt. The memory provided small comfort in the darkest of times.

* * *

Gale's POV

After school I trekked to the woods. I needed to get away from everyone for a little bit. I needed to get away from the games. Slipping under the fence, I entered the woods. Leaves crunched under my feet as I walked. A small brown rabbit nibbled on a  
wildflower. Tiny fish swam in a little pond. It looked the same as it always had. But there was no girl next to me. No girl to talk to. No Katniss to joke with.

I looked at the little drawing Rory had given me. Prim had drawn it during class and told him to pass it on. It was a picture of rosemary leaves. She had drawn it so I could pick the right herbs, although I have trouble telling the difference between  
each plant. Maybe I'll ask Mrs. Everdeen if I can bring Prim to the woods on Saturday to help me.

I sat by a small stream and stuiedy the drawing. It lookedlike an evergreen branch, but with little pink flowers on the end. A fish splashed, and the sun flashed off its scales. I hear another splash, but no fish has leaped. Confused, I look around.  
Another splash. Looking up, I sawa Mockingjay in a branch overhead. It opened its beak, and another splash sounded. I chuckled, remembering the one time I had come to the woods late and hear Katniss singing to these things. We acted as though  
it had never happened - Katniss dislikes music - but I'll never forget the beauty of the tune she was singing. Now the song flows through my head.

 _Deep in the meadow_

 _Under the willow_

 _A bed of grass_

 _A soft green pillow_

 _Lay down your head_

 _And close your sleepy eyes_

 _And when again they open_

 _The sun will rise_

 _Here it's safe_

 _Here it's warm_

 _Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

 _Here your dreams are sweet_

 _And tomorrow brings them true_

 _Here is the place_

 _Where I love you_

 __

The last line sticks in my head. _I love you._ Why didn't I tell her before? What was I aftraid of? Rejection? Complicating our friendship? How could it be harder to utter three words than it was to set the most complicated snare?

I walk up a hill to the place where we shared our last meal together. The air is filled with the smell of blackberries in the summer. The grass is long and soft. I get a clear view of the woods. Katniss and I often talked about how it looked like a picture  
in one of Prim's storybooks. Tall green trees. A shimmering blue river. Mountains in the distance. Clumps of wildflowers. Pretty little birds flying above the treetops. It would be paradise, if I had someone to share the view with.

I grabbed a fishing pole that Katniss and I had stashed in a hollow log. Fishing seemed like a good idea - I didn't seem to have the energy for hunting. At first, I could hunt for hours because I was fueled by my fury for the Capitol. But now the loss  
of Katniss seemed to have settled in. Just sitting at a pond seemed nice. I filled my canteen with water, pulled out some blackberries I had picked, and settled down.

It was a good day for fishing. I caught about 11 before the sun began to sink below the mountains. It was only when I had crawled under the fence when I realized that I had completely forgotten about the rosemary. Sometimes Kanto, the oldest trader from  
the hob, has some herbs in stock.

"Hey, Kanto, got any rosemary?" I asked when I reached the hob. I had bought two bowls of soup from Greasy Sae and put one down in front of him. She had used the rabbits and the greens I had brought her yesterday to make one of her better dishes: Rabbit  
and Lemongrass stew. "Sorry, fresh out," he said. "I just gave the last of it to Hugo for his soaps. Although, I assure you, the money went to a good cause." I knew what he meant. The _Support Katniss Everdeen_ jar was steadily filling up. "It's  
alright," I said. The Everdeens would just have to do without Rosemary for one more evening.

I walked into the Everdeen's house to see Prim working on her schoolwork and her mother sweeping the floor. Buttercup walked up to me and meowedhopefully. I tossedthe smallest fish on the floor and he pounced on it. "Sorry, I forgot the Rosemary,"  
I said, as I lay three fish next to Mrs. Everdeen. "That's quite alright," she assured me, as she began cutting up the fish for stew. "Prim, can you go get the leftover dandelion greens, please?"

"I'm thinking of taking Prim into the woods tomorrow, so she can help me gather herbs," I said to Mrs. Everdeen. She dried her hands on her apron and looked at me. "I'm fine with it, but you'll have a tough time convincing Primrose."

Prim came back into the kitchen with a small bowl of green leaves. Mrs. Everdeen put those in a pot of boiling water over the fire along with the fish, some salt, and something from a tinybottle that I was pretty sure was lemon. "Prim," I said,  
"how would you like to come to the woods tomorrow?"

She stopped and looked at me, and I remembered the few disastrous attempts on Katniss's part to bring her to the woods. "Please?" I said. "I need you to help me with herbs, and I promise there won't be any danger. They always talk about bears and wild  
dogs, but that's just to keep people away. Really, there's not much more threatening than Buttercup."

This was stretching the truth to the breaking point, but she seemed to be considering. "Okay," she said finally. She looked a little embarrassed and hesitantly said, "Can Rory come?"

Rory? That suprised me. There was no denying the pink tint that had bloomed on her cheeks. "Sure," I said, pretending not to notice. But Mrs. Everdeen and I exchanged knowing glances. As I walked home, I was in a considerably better mood. Even with the  
games, life could go on as usual.

* * *

Please review! I really appreciate all the feedback I can get. What do you think about a Prim/Rory relationship? Nothing serious, more like Puppy love. Should I follow through with it? Let me know.


	15. Quick notification

Hi readers! So this isn't a chapter, it's more of an announcement. So I'm really sorry for all the inconsistent updates (I'm trying to put myself on a schedule) but I've just started school,so I'm going to take the week off just so I can adjust.  
/Again, I'm so sorry about this, and I promise you'll see me again!

Thanks for reading my story. It's really awesome to get notifications that people are following or reviews. I always read your reviews and am always open to suggestions.

Bye! (Until next week)

xxNERDYxx


	16. The Woods Part 1

Hello! I'm back! Thank you all for your patience, and I promise that I'll get back on an updating schedule. Also, thank you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing! It means so much to me as a writer!

* * *

Prim's POV

I sat in front of the cracked mirror as I braided my hair. It was what Katniss always did before she went into the woods, and I wanted to be like her, I guess, my first time alone in the woods without her. Just me, Gale, and Rory. Rory. My heart fluttered  
a bit. I've had a crush on him for about a year now, but I'm not sure if he's ever noticed me. Is this how Peeta felt with Katniss? No. I didn't want to think about Peeta right now. It was too confusing. Instead I nervously ran my fingers through  
the little piece of hair that refused to stay in my braid.

"Here, Prim," my mom said as she handed me a bag with three sandwiches and an apple. "Gale will probably be able to catch something, but just in case, I want you to have something." The sun was hardly up, but I was wide awake.

There was a knock on the door, and my heart started pounding. My mother opened the door, and there they stood. Unlike Katniss and me, who looked like we could be from different districts, Gale and Rory resembled each other so much that they were almost  
identical. Same short black hair. Same tall, muscular frame. Same grey eyes. Same . Not the same eyes. Not the same face. Gale's eyes were harder, colder, almost, and his face was almost always a mask of indifference. Rory's face,  
though, was expressive, and his soft grey eyes were gentle. And they were looking at me.

I could feel pink patches starting to bloom on my cheeks. Then I noticed that Rory was blushing, too. He was biting the inside of his lip the way he did when he was nervous, and rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. He wasn't quite meeting  
my eyes, instead staring at his hiking boots, or else studying my right pant leg. All the sudden I wished I was wearing something nicer. It was true I hadn't cared much about my appearance before - presentable was always my standard - but I would  
have liked my first real interaction with Rory not to be spent with me in a stained, oversized shirt and scruffy pants. Katniss' old hunting clothes that she had long outgrown. Rory must have been wearing a pair of Gale's old hunting clothes, but  
he was about 2 inches taller than me, so they fit him much better.

My mother handed me my coat, and Gale, Rory, and I walked into the chilly morning air. About a hop, a skip, and a jump away from my house was the woods. Rory went in first, than me. Gale brought up the rear.

I gasped as I entered the woods. I had been in here before, but I had been small and afraid. Now, I was able to see past my fear and see the woods instead.

It was like the chain link fence stopped all the coal dust from coming in. While all of District 12 was grimy and grey, the woods was filled with all sorts of colors, sounds, and scents. Rory immediately scrambled up the grey trunk of an old ash tree.  
Somewhere out of sight, a babbling brooke flowed. Songbirds twittered overhead. Squirrels scurried in the trees. The air carried the light scents of pine and wildflowers. I bent down to smell a nearby patch of colorful wildflowers. The blossoms were  
beautiful - pink or blue or orange at the tips and then slowly fading to white. Behind me, I heard some leaves rustle. Turning around, I saw a little grey rabbit sniffing around for food. "It's so _cute!_ " I said, bending down. It's ear perked  
up at the sound of my voice, and then it ran into the trees. I had been expecting it - Katniss had told me all about how hard it could be to catch rabbits because they were so skittish. Rory climbed down from his tree, and the three of us headed deeper  
into the woods.

As we hiked along the path, I noticed that Rory was sneaking glances at me. And I was sneaking glances at him.

* * *

Gale's POV

I watched as Prim and Rory glanced at each other, too shy to say anything. Rory had always been the sweetest boy in our family. My dad loved us all, but he hated the mines. It sucked almost all the joy out of him. I loved my family was as well, but I  
preferred to keep to myself. Vick was like me - all of us loved each other, but Vick could be impatient and irritable. Rory, though, was kind and patient. He was the one who volunteered to play with Posy or run errandswhen my mother was busy.  
He was well-liked within the district, but he didn't like people to talk about him. Compliments and praise made him blush to the roots of his black hair. How someone can be that humble, I don't know.

I watchedas the blush I know so well crawled up Rory's face. Unlike my father, Vick, and me, Rory was never good at hiding his emotions. His face was an open book, and now it spelled love. I wanted him to make a move to Prim. It's so obvious to  
me that the feelings that Rory had are shared. I don't want him to make the mistake I made with Katniss. Because if he waits, he might never get the chance to say anything.

We reach our destination just as the sun begins peeking through the clouds. It was a decent sized pond that was good for fishing and swimming. It was still too cold for a swim to be refreshing, but I pulled out two fishing poles from a nearby hollow log.  
"There's only two poles," I explained to Prim and Rory. "That's fine," said Prim. "You two fish and I'll go find some herbs for seasoning."

Rory and I cast out our lines as Prim headedoff. "Don't go too far!" I call after her. As soon as she's out of earshot, I turned to Rory. "So, when are you going to say something?" Rory looked startled. "Say what? To who?" he asked. "To Prim," I  
said. Rory blushed again. "I d-don't know what you're t-talking about," he stammered. "Rory, there's no use denying it. It's obvious." "Oh."

After a minute, his line went taunt, and he reeled it in. A fat trout was caught on the end. As Rory cast out his line again, Prim came back holding bundles of leaves. She named them as she handed them to me. "Rosemary, thyme, lemongrass, oreango..."  
I gathered up some pine branches as Rory caught two more fish. "Rory, are you taking the fattest worms again?" I asked teasingly as I took some matches out of the pack that I had brought. "What? No! You just can't fish!" He replied. Prim giggled,  
and Rory looked pleased with himself. I smiled to myself. How long would it take before someone made a move?

* * *

Prim's POV

Gale cooked the fish, and we ate them as the sun came up over the mountains. I felt something brush over my arm, and I looked to see Rory's hand as he reached for the canteen of water. "S-sorry," he stammered. "It's alright," I said as chills erupted  
the place in the place where his hand has brushed mine.

"I'm going to go check on my snares," said Gale as we finished up. "I'll be back in a little over an hour. Don't leave the pond." I watched as Gale headed deeper into the woods. For the first time, I felt a flicker of anxiety. Gale was gone. What if we  
were attacked by a wild dog or a bear? And Rory and I were alone. What would happen?

Suddenly I felt two hands push me, and I fell into the pond. The water was clear and cool, and the stones were perfectly smooth. I came up spluttering as Rory howled with laughter. "Rory!" I said. "Help me out!" "Alright," he said.

He reached out for my hand. The moment his fingers were locked in mine, I pulled, and he flailed as he splashed into the pond. "You'll regret that!" He said as he slashed me with water. We played on like that until Rory sat down. "I give up," he said.  
I waded over and sat down next to him. Rory leaned over and plucked a blue flower nearby. He brushed aside a strand of my wet blonde hair and put it behind my ear. "It matches your eyes," he said shyly. "Thanks," I said, hoping he wouldn't notice  
my blush.

"Hey, Prim, I've wanted to ask you something for a while now."

"Yes, Rory?"

"Well, um, the thing is, well, you see, this isn't easy for me, but, um...ifiaskedyououtwouldyousayyes?"

"What?" He said the last part really fast, and I couldn't understand him.

"Well, if I asked you out, would you say yes?"

I stared at him. Did Rory, the boy of my dreams, my first crush, finally ask me out? "Yes," I said. "What took you so long to ask?"

Rory let out a sigh of relief and took my hand. "I was hoping you'd say that," he said.

* * *

Hi guys! Sorry this chapter was so short! I ment for it to be longer, but for some reason all my teachers have decided to assign mountains of homework on the first week. Also, I know absolutely nothing about romantic relationships, so bear with me as  
I try to figure out Prim and Rory. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


	17. The Woods Part 2

Hi guys! Oh my goodness I am so sorry! I keep meaning to write more but I barely have any free time! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Prim's POV

I sat by the pond and looked at Rory, who was looking back at me. Sometimes, in the middle of the worst point in your life, something good can happen. How many times I've sneaked a look at Rory in class, or out in the schoolyard, I don't know. Now I wondered  
if Rory had ever sneaked looks at me, and I had just never noticed. I imagine my blue eyes flitting toward him, my hand shyly tucking a strand of my blond hair behind my ear. And now, I don't see my eyes, but Peeta's glancing at Katniss, his fingers  
running through his own blond hair. Had Peeta ever felt like me, quietly sitting on the sidelines, praying to be noticed? His eyes always flickering to Katniss, but his glances never returned? He still glances, even in the games. I thought again about  
how he saw Katniss in the tree, in the perfect position to betray her to the Careers, but he kept silent.

What is up with Peeta? My mother and I watched a whole special on that subject last night. Most people thought that he and Katniss planned it together, but somehow, I didn't think so. I've known Katniss long enough to see past the mask she wears. Even  
though she seemed calm and cool, I could sense the confusion and betrayal she felt. And underneath that, desperation. But for what? Sometimes I wondered if Katniss shared Peeta's feelings. But she knows that only one person can leave the arena.

"Prim?"

Rory's voice brings me back to reality. "W-wha?" "Sorry. You kinda...went away, I guess." "Sorry," I said. "I was just thinking about the games." "Yeah," said Rory. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "It's horrible, isn't it. What the Capitol does for  
their entertainment." "I know," I whispered. "I want Katniss back more than anything, but, well, I can't stop thinking about how all the other tributes have families. Like Peeta. You've seen how his family walks around and keeps their shutters drawn  
tight. Even Cato, from Rue, from Eleven. I think, if she lived here, I would want to be her friend. And maybe she's got an older sister, like Katniss, who wants her back more than anything in the world..." I trail off, because I've gotten  
chocked up. Rory put his arm around me. "I know," Rory whispered. "But the only way out is an uprising, and the first one landed us here."

Uprising. It's a word I've never though much about. I've only been presented it from the Capitol's point of view. How the Capitol was good to the districts, giving them as much grain and oil as they needed. How the Capitol had agreed to allow district  
citizens to help rule the country. How the districts turned against the Capitol and tried to rule the country themselves. But now I wonder what really happened. What had caused the districts to turn on their rulers? If the Capitol was really as gentle  
and generous as our textbooks describe, why would the districts turn on them? Why would twelve Districts be chained up as slaves, while the thirteenth was obliterated to nothing more than a pile of rubble?

All of this runs through my head in a matter of seconds. Then a bird call brings me back to my surroundings. I looked up at the twittering bluebird that sat on the berry tree right above up. And next to that bird is Rory.

"C'mon up Prim!"

"Rory, I've never climbed a tree before! I don't know how!"

"It's easy! I'll show you!" He said. "See that branch a foot above your head?"

"Yeah"

"Grab onto it, then pull yourself up."

I grabbed the rough bark-covered branch with my hands and pulled. It stung my palms a little, but I swung my feet up and planted them firmly against the dark brown trunk.

"That's it!" Rory encouraged. "Now walk up the trunk, and pull with your arms too as you do it."

Slowly, I walked up and pulled myself onto the branch.

"There you go! Now stand up on that branch and do the same thing with the one above you now."

As I pulled myself onto that branch, Rory stared climbing again. "Rory! Slow down!" I called. "It's alright! You'll catch up!" He shouted from over his shoulder. Now that I had gotten the hang of it, climbing was easy. Put your feet on knots or branches  
and pull with your arms. Watch out for birds nests. Don't put your hands in sap.

When I caught up with Rory he was sitting in a branch about 10 feet off the ground. "Well, I'm impressed," he said when I got up there. "Gale only made it 6 feet up his first time climbing a tree before the branch snapped." Rory's praise made me feel  
warm inside. The sun had fully emerged from the clouds by now, so we were warmed by the gentle heat while a light breeze tickled our faces. I sat down next to him. We had a clear view of the woods from here. There was the pond where we had eaten breakfast,  
and beyond that was a field of wildflowers, an oak forest, a perfectly green meadow. "It's beautiful, isn't it," I said.

"Yeah," said Rory dreamily.

"I could just sit up here forever."

"Yeah..."

"Rory?"

"Yeah..."

"Rory!"

I gave his shoulders a slight shake.

"Huh? Wha?" He said before he came back to his senses. "Rory! You kinda dozed off there."

"S-sorry," he said. "I was just thinking, well, about how lucky I am."

"Lucky? About what?"

"Well, lucky to have you now, that's all."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I've been waiting since, oh, maybe 4th grade? At the Christmas party at school. I remember because we had to do the secret Santa for the party, and someone was too poor to buy a gift, and you went up to the girl who didn't get a gift and gave her  
your square of chocolate you had gotten. And right then I knew that you were perfect. And...yeah, that's it."

That made me even happier than his praise did. I remembered that day, too. That's how I became friends with Sandi, the girl I had given my chocolate to. But it made me happy to hear him say it because it meant that Rory didn't like me for my looks, or  
something that didn't matter. He liked me for what was inside. I know too many girls who spend all their time making their outside look as good as possible, and too many boys who only care for what their eyes can see. It's funny - you'd think that  
in District 12, where people drop dead of starvation every week, people wouldn't care about their outward appearance - but for most people it's like the Capitol. Beauty first. I'm just glad that Rory doesn't care about that.

"I remember when I fell for you," I said. "It was last year, during lunch. A couple of younger kids were playing with a ball and old Ruffus came over and stole it." Ruffus was a year older, 6 inches taller, and 75 pounds heavier than us. "And then you  
walked up to him and just said, 'Give it back.' 'Who's gonna make me?' He asked. And you just said, 'I am.' You woke up an hour later lying on our kitchen table after he knocked you out."

"Really? _That's_ why you like me? Because I got knocked out by a dim-witted jerk?" Rory asked teasingly.

"No!" I said, laughing a little. "I like you because you stood up for someone you didn't know, even though you knew you could get hurt. And you weren't even scared!"

"Oh, no. I was terrified. Your mom had to practically wire my jaw back in place."

"I remember! And for the rest of the year, I would look at you and remember that moment."

"Really? You think of me getting slugged by Ruffus every time you see me?"

"No, I think of you standing up for that kid!"

"Hey! When are you two lovebirds gonna come down?"

Rory almost fell out of the tree. "Gale! How long have you been there?"

"Just a few minutes. Now get down. I need you guys to help me pick herbs."

Rory started heading down with ease, but I sat on the branch, frozen. Getting up was one thing, but now I seemed a lot farther up than I remember being. "Prim, it's okay!" Rory called. "There's a branch a few feet down from you. Hold on to your branch  
and lower yourself down!"

Slowly, with Rory's guidance, I made my way down the tree. "Alright," Gale said. "Your mom said she gave you a list of all the herbs she needs."

I dug the crumpled list out of my pocket. "Rosemary, feverfew, peppermint, and chamomile." "Alright," Gale said. "There's a pretty good place for herbs in the meadow near here."

* * *

Gale's POV

After we collected the herbs, we made camp at a spring in the meadow. I cooked some squirrels that had gotten caught in my snare. I had overheard enough of Prim and Rory's conversation to know that Rory had successfully asked Prim out, and as I watched  
them now, it became even more obvious. The two of them snuck glances at each other, held hands on the walk over here, and to top it off, Rory picked a bunch on wildflowers and gave them to her. I gave him and knowing glance, and he ducked away, blushing.

Right before sundown we headed back to the district, just as we had promised. There was just one problem. The fence was alive with electricity.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading and sticking with me. I am so sorry that I haven't been updating. I've just been so busy and have had almost no free time. Updates might be a bit inconsistent, and thank you all for your patience and dedication! Stay tuned  
for The Woods (Part 3)


	18. The Woods Part 3

Hello again! I'm super sorry for the delay in updates!Please enjoy this chapter! As always, all feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism is deeply appreciated!

* * *

Prim's POV

As soon as I heard the buzzing of the fence, I quickly backed into the woods with Gale and Rory at my side. Hidden in the shadows of the trees, all my old fears came back to me. Spending the day with Rory had made me happy, joyful. Now I began to panic.  
The Woods seemed as if everything was fractured, much more sinester than it did during the day. Green eyes glowed from up in a tree. Something buzzed loudly passed my ear. Hyperventilating, I reached out and took Rory's hand. He squeezed tightly in  
return.

Somewhere behind us, Gale lit a torch. Katniss once told me that she never went into the woods without extra food, a knife, and matches - just in case. "We'll just have to hang out here until the fence turns off," he said, pulling his bow out of a nearby  
hollow log. He handed the torch to Rory, lit another one, and walked about 10 feet away to stand guard.

"Rory?" I whispered.

"What?" He whispered back.

"I'm scared," I confessed. Rory put his arm that wasn't carrying the torch around me. "I'm scared too," he admitted. "But I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." Hearing his words, feeling his arms, I was comforted.

"It's not fair!" He said suddenly. "What?" I asked, looking up at him. "The games," he said. "We're not savages. It's not like the ancient Mayans we learned about in school. We don't believe in gods that demand sacrifices. So why do we still have the  
games? We're told it's to prevent an uprising. But why does it have to be this way?"

I'm stunned into silence for a few moments. Rory's repeating everything I thought of earlier. "There's two sides to every story," I said. "We're presented the Capitol's version. But what happened in the Districts? What was their point of view?" "I guess  
we'll never know," said Rory. "We don't know anything the Capitol doesn't tell us. That's how they keep us under control." We let the conversation drop - even though we're in the woods, it seems possible that the Capitol could be listening in.

* * *

Gale's POV

I sat about ten feet away from Rory and Prim. They were talking about who-knows-what in hushed voices, so I sat and thought by myself.

Back when Katniss was here, getting trapped in the woods meant hours of talking and laughing and joking. It meant sitting in a tree and sharing our private thoughts, or discussing forbidden topics, such as our actual views on the Capitol or the games.

I miss her. The answer to my feelings is so simple. I miss Katniss Everdeen. She's my best friend, and she would have been more to me if I had asked. I never approached her in a romantic way because she never seemed interested in romance. She doesn't  
flirt like some other girls do. She never fakes her feelings or gets involved with drama. When she talks she doesn't avoid looking straight at you. But there's also no smile like hers. There's no laugh like hers: sweet and subtle. There's no one else  
who can sing as smooth and melodically as she can. And now she's gone. And she'll never come back again. Even if she makes it, she'll be different. The arena changes you. Plenty of strong tributes have been lured into the Capitol's ways. I've seen  
them in interviews: Isaac, a victor from 5 who's had 27 surgeries since he won his games; Julia, who won her games the year before I was born, now resides in luxury and riches and ignores the starving district she grew up in; and of course, Finnick  
Odair, the handsome tribute from 4 who is now the lover of the Capitol. All of them were fine people when they entered the arena. And all of them are wasted away now, pets of the Capitol.

What will Katniss be like? I have no doubt in my mind that she'll make it, but how different will she be after her games? Will she live in the Capitol or in the district? Will she stay strong or turn into a drunk like Haymitch? Will she care for her loved  
ones or abandon them for the Capitol's glory? Will she love me or abandon me? I stare at the torch in my hand, lost in thought. Will I ever enjoy time with her again?

I glance back at Rory and Prim. Prim's fallen asleep with her head on Rory's shoulder. She looks so fragile, like a porcelain doll that could break any second. How are the games affecting her? Will she cope if the worst happens to Katniss? Rory, on the  
other hand, looks stronger. I'm glad he's there for Prim. He'll be her rock, her support. But he'll care for her too. When she cries, he'll be there to hold her. When she needs comfort, he'll know just what to say. I have no one like that. And I never  
will. Katniss is the only one I want. I'll have no one else.

Looking at Rory again, I realize I have to start taking care of my family. Well, I've been taking care of them ever since my dad died, but I need to do something else. There's only so much money my mother can earn washing clothes, and there's only so  
much I can earn trading in the hob. The work in the mines, though...that's something. My father got us by with the wages he earned. I can teach Rory to hunt and introduce him around the hob. I hate the idea of spending my time down underground but...I  
turn 18 soon. I'll be expected to get a job. There's no denying it - my family is struggling. We've been that way ever since my dad was killed in that accident. We've gotten by combining the money my mother earns from her small washing business, the  
money I get from trading in the hob, the game I catch, and the small amount of tesserae I get. But I'm not eligible for tesserae anymore. And trading in the hob isn't enough to support my whole family.

I remember a conversation Katniss and I had a while ago. "You know," Katniss had said one day as we picked blackberries, "it's funny how the Capitol depends on us for the coal production for the whole country, but they won't even feed us properly." She  
popped a small berry in her mouth, and a small drop of purple juice trickled out of her mouth. "It's how they keep us under control," I had replied, dropping a few more fruits into my basket. "People starve, more kids sign up for tesserae, more fear  
in the country, more control for the Capitol. Besides, if they wanted to, they could wipe us out and make artificial coal for the whole country. They've been using artificial graphite ever since they obliterated thirteen." For a while, we picked in  
silence. "I wonder," Katniss said after a while, "what an artificial blackberry would taste like."

That's what the whole Capitol is. Artificial. And they keep us under control by starving us, forcing us to do horrible labor while they sit back and snatch our children from us. The whole thing sickens me. What we need is an uprising.

I stop, rethinking what I had just thought. _What we need is an uprising._ Thats another way the Capitol controls us. They remind us of what a failure the first uprising was. But somehow I feel like another uprising is on the way. There's tension  
in the hob. In the news, people seem ready to snap at any moment. As for me, I'd join a revolution any day now. And I bet a lot more people would. Ever since the reaping, there seems to have been a shift in the country. It's as if people are realizing  
that actual humans are being thrown into the games. The sight of Prim clutching Katniss as she mounts the stage. Katniss' interview. Peeta's confession of love. Little bits of ammunition here and there. But enough, if it continues, to bring down the  
Capitol. A few words could turn into Revolution.

* * *

Prim's POV

I woke up to Gale shaking me. "Wake up," he whispered. "The fence is turned off." I crawl back into the district. When we reach my house, I quietly open the door. My mothers at the table, asleep, with two cups of tea that are stone cold by now. As Gale  
and Rory enter, she wakes up. "How was the woods?" She asks. "You were gone for longer than I expected." "The fence was on," Gale explains. Her eyes catch Rory and me, or more exactly our hands, which are clutched around each other. She and Gale glance  
at each other. She raises her eyebrows, and Gale nods. "Well, thank you for taking care of her," she says. Gale and Rory leave, and as they step out, Rory gives me a little wave, which I return. Once they're gone, a wave of tiredness crashes over  
me. Before my mother can open her mouth, I say, "I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Right now I need sleep." She nods, and I walk up the stairs, too exhausted to even think.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Again, I am so sorry for they delay in updates! Feel free to review and leave any suggestions. More Peeta's POV coming next time! 


	19. Betrayal

Hello again! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feel free to review! And just so no one's confused, the first part about Peeta takes place at the same time Prim, Gale, and Rory are in the woods.

* * *

Peeta's POV

It's only the second day in the arena but I already feel like I'm loosing myself. It's a Sunday, and I imagine what's going on back home. My parents and brothers are probably busy in the bakery, baking bread, selling pastries, buying flour. I hope  
I haven't hurt their business by teaming up with the Careers. Usually Katniss and her friend Gale spend Sundays in the woods. Where is Katniss now? The last time I saw her was in the tree when I killed that girl. Why did I do it? I've tried to  
justify it to myself a million times - I had to make the Careers trust me, she was a threat to Katniss, if we didn't move on, someone else would have seen Katniss - but I still couldn't shake off the intense guilt I felt every time I think of  
her. Of her desperate pleading as Cato cut her. Of her eyes, wide and scared, as I returned to kill her. Claudius Templesmith, Caesar, and the guest commentators must be having a heck of a time trying to dissect my behavior. In fact, I'm probably  
the only person who knows what I'm planning.

I look around the camp the Careers and I have set up. I'm the only one awake - Maya and I were supposed to keep watch together (I'm not trusted to keep watch alone) but Maya fell asleep halfway through our shift. A tarp is stretched over where I'm  
sitting, to protect from possible rain. It extends to the mouth of the Cornicopia, also protecting the food. There are two small tents: one is occupied by Cato, the other by Glimmer. Marvel and Clove are asleep in sleeping bags. Everyone has easy  
access to their weapons. Cato and Glimmer have theirs in the tents, and Marvel has his spear in his hand as he sleeps. Clove has her jacket lines with knives. I'm now sure why she sleeps with them - it seems to me like if she rolls over she could  
possibly stab herself in the lungs - but seeing as how I haven't spent that much time sleeping with knives in my jacket, I really don't know how it works. Maya has her scythe - I've started calling it a battle scythe - lying next to her, it having  
fallen through her limp fingers when she fell asleep. I turn my silver knife over in my hands. It carries unpleasant memories, and I don't like it.

Once everyone has woken up, we get breakfast cooking. Clove takes out a rabbit that foolishly wanders by our camp. The fragrance floods the air as we cook it, and although we have enough food here that we don't have to hunt, there's something rejuvenating  
about the scent of cooking meat. We pair the meat with an apple each and a pack of crackers for us to share. As we eat, we talk.

"We need a way to guard the camp," Glimmer says. "If we leave the food, there's a good chance that another tribute or the game makers will take it away." We all agree, but no one trusts one another enough to leave them with our precious food. Even  
though it's risky, we decide to leave the food ungaurded for a day and hunt. We head back for the woods again, the Careers hoping to find Katniss, me hoping to avoid her at all costs.

* * *

Prim's POV

I woke up tiredly the next morning. The night in the woods has left me feeling exhausted, but I have school today. I trudge my way downstairs and absent mindedly stir around my porridge until it's time to go.

The morning air wakes me up somewhat, but I still yawn hugely as I sit down at my desk. A few desks to my right, Rory had black circles under his eyes. As he looks over, he gives me a small wave, which I return.

I start to doze off halfway through the math lesson. My eyes are bleary, and I feel like I could just sleep for a week.

"Miss Everdeen!"

I jerk my head up to see the teacher, Mrs. Cynda, standing right in front of my desk. The whole class is looking at me. "If you're going to sleep, please do it at home." She hands me a worksheet and walks back to the front of the room. Millie, who sits  
next to me, leans in and whispers, "You've missed almost the whole lesson. I'll teach it to you later." "Thanks, Millie," I whisper back. Millie's probably the smartest kid in the class. She's also one of the most popular. She's from town, so she  
has more money than most, and she's really pretty, too - curly blonehair, soft blueeyes, and a perfect row of even, white teeth. With all this, you'd expect her to be stuck-up, but she's not. She's really nice and doesn't act like she's  
better than anyone. We met back when we were in the first grade. I was sitting by myself because I was too scared to talk to anyone. Then she came and sat down next to me, introducing herself and offering to play ball with me. We've been friends ever  
since.

At lunch, our other friend Sandi joins Millie and me at a table. Sandi looks a lot like her name - dirty blonde hair the color of sand, a slight tan, and freckles. "I have something to tell you," I say as we set our trays down. "What?" Sandi and Millie  
say in unison. "So, you know how I told you how I had a crush on someone, but I wouldn't say who?" "Yeah," said Millie, taking a bite of the mush we get for lunch. "Well, he asked me out yesterday, and I said yes!" Sandi lets out a squeal, and Millie  
asks, "Who? There's no point in hiding it anymore, Prim." "Okay," I say. "Rory." "Rory?" Repeats Sandi. "He's cute. Nice catch, Prim."

Just then, the screen in the cafeteria comes to life. It's the brief montage of important events that have happened in the games so far. The seal of the Capitol shines for a moment with the anthem in the background, then it cuts to Claudius and Caesar.  
"Welcome back," days Caesar, "and do we have an exciting batch of tributes this year. Let's focus on the two from twelve. Star-crossed or are they going their separate ways?" "Well, Caesar, Peeta is completely in the dark about his motives," says  
Claudius. "He's teamed up with the toughest tributes who are no doubt looking for Katniss. But he had the perfect opportunity to betray her, and he let her live." "Well, we can't do much of anything except ponder, so let's take a look at Katniss,"  
says Caesar. "So far, she's looking good. She's set up a successful snare, and was resourceful enough to cook her rabbit without lighting a fire with her enemies so close." "Indeed," agrees Claudius. "However, Katniss May Be in more trouble than our  
viewers realize." My blood turns to ice as I hear this. What does he mean? Katniss in trouble? How?

"You see," Claudius says, "Katniss has no water. Without water, how long can she last?" He asks Caesar. "About 3-4 days at most," says Caesar. "Without water, the odds are certainly _not_ in her favor."

I gaze at the screen, unwilling to accept what I've just heard. But in the back of my mind I know it's the truth.

Rory's waiting for me after school for him to walk me home. We're going to do our homework together at my house. At least that's what we told our parents. ButI think they've both figured out that something more going on.

At my house there's two warm loaves of bread sitting on the table. The aroma rises and fills the room with the fresh scent of hot bread. "The baker came by earlier and dropped them off," my mother says. The crust crunches a little as my mother cuts it  
to reveal the soft, warm inner bread. With some butter from my goat, she garnishesthe slices and sets them in front of us. We snack on the wholesome loaf and creamy butter as we do our math worksheets.

The math was easier than we expected, so we went upstairs to hang out. Rory picks up one of the few pieces of artwork in the house: a sketch of my Dad I made a few weeks before the accident. "Is this your dad?" He asks. I nodded. Rory knows that he died  
\- he lost his father in the same explosion. Being raised by only one parent isn't uncommon in District 12 - many people die of starvation or in the mines. "What was he like," Rory asks.

I have to think about it for a moment. I was so little when he died that I don't remember much about him. "Kind," I say. "Funny. He could make just about anyone laugh. He loved us more than anything in the world. And he could sing. He taught Katniss,  
although she doesn't do it anymore." I look at the picture again. It's all right - a messy drawing done with a stub of coal - but it's better than some. I drew my father smiling, a bit of stubble on his chin, his eyes slightly crinkled. His eyes always  
crinkled when he was happy.

"What was your father like?" I asked Rory. "Kind of serious." He said. "Of course, he loved us, but he wasn't one for hugs or jokes. But he was always there for us. I don't remember him much, but I miss him all the same."

Buttercup slinks into the room, his fluffy tail held high, looking for food. "Hi, kitty," Rory says, picking him up. "Buttercup," I say. Buttercup purrs as Rory scratches him behind his ears. When he hears the door open, he pounced on the floor and races  
off to see who the newcomer is.

It's Gale, here with a full game bag. As he hands my mother two fat rabbits, Buttercup sits and meows as if he hasn't eaten for a week. He's come for Rory too, so we wave goodbye. "See you tomorrow," he says shyly.

After they've gone, my mother turns to me. "Prim, tell me the truth," she says. "Are you and Rory really 'just friends?'" I take a deep breath. "No. He asked me out when we were in the woods. He's a nice guy, mom." "I know he is, sweetie," my mom says.  
"I know the Hawthorns, and I know you can trust Rory." "Thank you, mom," I said. "For what?" She asked. "For understanding."

"Did I ever tell you how your father and I met?" My mom asked. I shook my head no. "We were, oh, 15 or 16. I was working in my parents apothecary shop, and then this boy comes in. I had seen him at school before, but I had never spoken to him. He had  
brought herbs from the woods to sell. As he was leaving, I called out to him, 'come back soon!' I don't know why I did, but the next day, he came back. Sometimes he would come without herbs, just to say hi.

"Eventually, we fell in love. My parents didn't approve. They thought that because he was from the Seam, he couldn't provide for me. But we still got married. So yes, I understand."

* * *

Gale's POV

I walked down the street with Rory. He was kind of quiet, but I could sense the happiness coming from him. "So, you and Prim," I said. "Yeah," He said. "I'm happy she said yes. You're not mad, are you?" He asked suddenly. "Mad? Why would I be mad?" I  
asked, confused. "Well, you and Katniss...if she comes back from the arena...and I'm dating Prim..." he says awkwardly. "What are you talking about?" I asked, although I could feel my face growing warm. "Don't bother lying, Gale," Rory says. "You  
can lie to Mom, Vick, and Posy and they won't know the difference, but I can see right through you."

"All right," I say. "Yes, I do have feelings for Katniss. But no, I'm not mad that you're dating Prim. Because even though I want to believe Katniss will come back, I know she might not. And even if she does, she'll be different. Besides, you deserve  
Prim. You had the courage to ask her out. And you're a nice guy. So no, I'm not mad."

For a while we walked, and then instead of turning left, the way to get to our house, I turned right. "Gale, home is that way," Rory said. "I know," I replied, "but I want to show you something." For a while we walked, until the Hob came into view. "The  
Hob? Why are we here?" Rory asked. "Rory, did you like our day in the woods?" I asked. "Well, yeah," he said. "Well, I'm done with school soon, and I need to get a job. I've been taking care of you guys by hunting, but you, Vick, and Posy are growing.  
I need a job if I'm going to take care of you guys. Next week they're taking applications for the mines, and I'm going to sign up. So, if you want, you can take over hunting in the woods. On Sundays I can teach you the basics - how to use a knife,  
how to set a basic snare, what plants are edible. You won't be able to shoot of set a really complex snare for a while, but the basics should be easy enough to pick up."

"But Gale," Rory says as we enter the Hob, "you love the woods. And you yourself said that there's no way you'd ever work in the mines." "I know. But times change," I said simply. "C'mon, I'll show you around." Rory already knows Greasy Sae, so we start  
there.

"Hi, Gale. Hey Rory," she says as we sit down at her counter. "Hello," I say, pulling out a half dozen fish to trade. As she hands us two bowls of soup, I notice the _Support Katniss Everdeen_ jar, which was overflowing yesterday, is bare. "What happened?"  
I asked. "Darrius arranged for it to go to the Capitol," she said. "We were worried it might attract thieves." I toss in a few coins while Greasy Sae chit chats with Rory.

After we finish the soup, I take Rory around to meet some other people in the Hob - Darrius, who he takes an instant liking to, Hugo, and Kanto - until it's time to go home.

* * *

Peeta's POV

For the next day, we trek aimlessly through the woods. Chances are the Capitol audience is getting bored and soon the game makers will add some twist to spice it up. But for now, we just walk through the woods, looking for a campfire, listening for a  
branch breaking. I notice that the tributes seem to be separated by district - Cato and Clove walk together, Marvel and Glimmer are side by side. Since there's only one tribute from 4 and 12 in the pack, Maya and I walk together. As we talk, I come  
to know Maya. How she took a job on the beach every morning. How she trained harder than anyone in their school where people are trained for the arena. How every day after school she went to the beach and collected shells, sometimes joined by her  
friend Arroyo. And I realize, I don't hate Maya. If we were back in the district, she would probably be my friend. She cracks a few jokes, is good for conversation, and works hard. How I can betray her, I don't know. But if Katniss is going to win,  
both her and I need to go.

As evening comes, the day seems to be getting hotter, which seems odd. Only when I see the wall of flames does it make sense.

All of us are on our feet and sprinting the moment we see it. Cato cries, "To the lake!" I don't know how close we are, if we can even reach it, but we follow Cato blindly through the woods. I see the shimmering blue surface for a moment before a fireball  
launches itself at us. Glimmer screams, and we turn and run the other way. We seem to run for hours, coughing from the smoke, dodging fireballs. Maya tripps once, and I pull her along until she regains her footing. I look up in time to see the ball  
of heat shooting at me. It must be what a star looks like, I think. I jump aside, but it still grazes my chest, leaving a searing pain behind. None of us have the strength to move on, so we collapse, waiting for the attack to continue. But it's stopped.  
I guess there's not much entertainment in watching 6 tributes burn to death.

There's a small pond nearby, and we make camp there for about two hours. We wash away the dirt and sweat, clean our wounds, purify some of it with iodine in Marvel's pack. We make a small meal out of dried beef from Catos backpack, a loaf of bread from  
Glimmer, and dried apples from Maya. Once we are able to stand, its back to hunting. But we're slower this time, noisier, exhausted by the fire. Eventually, though, Cato spots someone. A tribute, fleeing into the woods. It's not until we've cornered  
her up a tree that I realize who it is. My stomach drops as I see Katniss Everdeen 20 feet above my head.

Cato and Glimmer try to climb up the tree to reacher her. Glimmer tries to shoot her. Katniss shouts something down. It's all a blur. I'm trapped. I always knew this was coming, but now that I'm here, I can feel the pressure of the situation building  
on me. To hide this, I take out my knife and begin cleaning it.

On the ground we consult on how to get her down. The Careers aren't the smartest - I can think of 6 different ways to force her down right now - but all I suggest is that we make camp there for the night. Maya takes the first watch, and Glimmer takes  
the second shift. Everyone else falls asleep the moment they lie down, but I don't. Instead I position myself so Maya or Glimmer can't see I'm awake, and then I sit, watching Katniss. I know I can't sleep, not with Katniss in such danger. I know this  
being broadcasted live all over Panem. My face is probably on every screen.

In the wee hours of the morning, I hear something crashing. Several leaves fall on my head, and then the nest hits the ground- buzzing and shaking as angry tracker jackers swarm out. Cato, Clove, Marvel, and I jump up. "To the lake!" Yells Cato. Maya  
and Glimmer aren't so lucky. The swarms upon Glimmer before she can even rub her eyes. Maya gets tangled up in her sleeping bag as she tries to run. "Maya!" I yell, reaching my hand out. As our fingers brush, a sharp pain runs up my arm, and I jerk  
my hand back reflexively. Maya screams as she's engulfed in tracker jackers. "Maya!" I call, sparing a few moments to look at what little of her I can see, before I stumble back from a stinger that's now lodged behind my ear. As I dive into the lake,  
I can feel the first stages of the hallucinations. The lake water seems to bend away from me, and everything seems to be vibrating. A mockingjay in a nearby tree transforms into a girl, one I know so well, someone with olive skin and a black braid...

Somewhere in my befuddled mind, one thought connects to another, and I'm on my feet, crashing through the underbrush. Have to get to Katniss. Have to save her. I can hear her screams ringing through the woods. Is this real? It's hard to tell. It sounds  
so clear, but has the tracker jacker venom caused this? Have to get to her. Have to save Katniss. Rocks begin to shatter, branches break, and dragonflies ballon to the size of hovercrafts.

And then I see her. Huddled on the ground. Broken. Is this real? _Fight it, Peeta_ I tell myself. "What are you still doing here?" I shout. "Run! Run!" As Cato crashes through behind me, Katniss disappears into a cloud of black smoke. _Not real,_ i  
tell myself. _Not real, not real, this can't be real._ Catos drawn his sword and is charging at me. I draw my knife, but instead of one blade, I see five. The sword cuts through it like butter. I feel it's tip cut deep into my leg. The ground  
lurches beneath us. I take the opportunity to run as fast as I can. I grab my pack and sprint as fast as I can, which isn't very fast, given my current situation. I can feel something being drained out of my leg, but when I look down, my blood has  
turned thick and green. My pack disintegrates in my hand.A rock appears out of nowhere, and I tumble to the ground. I'm lying in something pleasantly cool now, and I look up to see frightening birds plummeting down to me. The last thing I see  
is a flash of claws and feathers before I black out.

* * *

I'm so sorry for the delay in updates. Turns out it's hard to write fanfiction while dealing with school, basketball, and hours of homework every night. Again, all feedback is welcome! 


	20. Hope

Prim's POV

It's been one day since half the playing field's been knocked out by tracker jackers. Not much is happening in the arena - killing off sleeping tributes would bore the Capitol audience - so the specials have mostly consisted of previous highlights and  
interviews. Today the special is an interview with Cinna and Portia.

"So," says Caesar, "both of you are brand new to these games. How does it feel to have made such a splash as your first entry?" "Well," says Cinna, "we view it as our job to help our tributes as much as we can. We hope that by our costumes, we have given  
them an edge." "What do you think of Katniss and Peeta?" Inquires Caesar. "They're both amazing people," says Portia. "Peeta is definitely the sweet one. He's very shy, but also very honest." "So you have no doubt that he loves Katniss?" Caesar asks.  
"None at all. Especially as we have just witnessed him being willing to sacrifice himself for her. He's got real character. I was fortunate to know him."

I like Cinna and Portia. They're not like the rest of the Capitol people. There's a difference. They seem more, _real,_ I guess. The broadcast ends, and my mother turns off the TV. We've spent our Saturday morning watching the mandatory specials with  
the Hawthorns. Our mothers sit at the table drinking tea. Vick and Gale are talking about hunting. Posy plays with Buttercup, who seems content to have the endless affection from a toddler. I'm taking Rory out back so he can meet Lady. "Hi, there,"  
I say softly as we approached the little black and white nanny goat. Lady gives me a polite sniff, and then licks my cheek. The soft pink tongue feels like velvet. Lady turns to Rory now. Rory holds out and apple he brought from the woods. "Hi, Lady."  
He says. Lady sniffs the apple and finally picks it up and crunches it. "Cute goat," Rory says as she happily munches the snack he brought her. "Yeah," I agree. "Katniss and Gale got her for my birthday." "Why'd you name her Lady?" Rory asks. "Because  
she's refined and sweet," I say. "I almost named her Hope." "How come?" Rory wonders.

"Because when we got her, I knew we could survive. They had gotten he something we could live off of. But more than that, they got me a friend. And right when they brought her in, I knew, hope wasn't lost. We could survive in District 12." Of course,  
this was more in an emotional sense. Katniss was hunting and trading, so all our physical needs were met.

Rory reaches out to grab my hand. As our fingers touch, Lady bleats out. Rory jumps back in shock. "It's okay, Lady," I say. "Rory's not going to hurt me. You can trust him." Lady seems to relax a little, and doesn't stop Rory from grabbing my hand. "You  
know, she seems as protective of you as you are of her," Rory teases. And we sit there for a while, content to hold hands and talk.

* * *

Peeta's POV

I'm crashing through the woods, perused by an enemy I cannot see. _Not real,_ I tell myself. This has to be part of the Tracker Jacker venom. But it feels so real, I can't help but be afraid. I hear Katniss's scream and know that whatever is chasing  
me has found her. How long will I run from this thing? Does it even matter? Katniss is gone. Gone.

Gone. It's a funny word, really. It sounds so simple, yet its meaning is so complex. In essence, it means absence. But you could be a million miles away but still not be gone. Or you could be right next to me but be completely unreachable. Are you really  
gone? Or are you just waiting to be noticed? Am I gone back in the district, even though I'm still alive? Or am I still there, in a way, even though I'm in the arena?

Suddenly, the creature chasing me stops. I don't know how I know. I can almost sense it. The woods seem awfully quiet. Then I hear it. A strange sound. I've never heard anything like it before. Is this a sign that the venom is wearing off? It sounds like  
tinkling bells, fire cracking, beautiful singing, and a million other things that I can't name. _It's hope,_ I think. If Hope had a sound, this would be it. So i follow it and let it take me to oblivion.

* * *

I'm so sorry for the short chapter. It's thanksgiving, so what are you thankful for? I'm thankful for all of you guys. Yes, I know it sounds corny and cliche, but I am. As a brand new fanfiction writer, your positive feedback and support means the world  
to me. So thank you


	21. Survive

Hello again! I'm back! Merry(almost) Christmas! Thank you for everyone who's talking their time to read this story. It means so much to me! This chapter takes place on the day that Katniss and Rue bomb the supplies.

* * *

Peeta's POV

I finally wake out of my stupor caused by the tracker jackers and a immediately aware of the searing pain in my upper leg. There's other throbbings on my chest, behind my ear, and in my head, but my leg seems to be the worst. My pants are plastered to  
my skin with blood and the sticky red stuff is starting to seep out. I try to wipe it on a nearby rock, but that does almost nothing. All I've done is given a blood trace to any predator - mutt, animal, or tribute - nearby. I need to get away from  
here, but I'm lightheaded just from sitting up. I need to form a plan, but I can't even think straight. I try and walk, but I lurch sideways and get my shoes soaked. That doesn't make sense until I look down and notice that I'm in a stream. At least  
I have some water. I splash some of the cool liquid on my face and it clears it a little. I also sip a little - after days of unconsciousness while I'm bleeding uncontrollably, I'm terribly dehydrated- and hope it's clean. I've lost my knife and my  
pack somehow, but I've still got the pack of dried pineapple. After eating a fewpiecesof the sweet fruit, I feel a little better. Better enough to walk through the stream, anyways. Well, it's more like stumbling, tripping over water plants  
every few feet. I find a large stick and use it to help me walk. Eventually, I'm able to drag myself onto the bank. My leg is bleeding again. Strugglingthrough the stream seems to have torn whatever thin skin had managed to reform. I try and  
wipe off the blood again, but I'm as unsuccessful as my first attempt. I manage to practically drag myself about 20 more yards before I know there's no way I can go on. Not only is my leg bleeding uncontrollably, but my stings are agony, I feel as  
though I'm burning up, and I'm so hungry I've eaten every pice of the tangypineapple without a second thought. In an attempt to cool myself off and relieve some of the pain in my stings and the bleeding in my leg, I begin to rub some mud on  
it. It feels nice and helps clear my senses. It's like painting. Painting...painting...

A memory is coming back to me. I'm back in the training center at the camouflage station, spreading mud and flowers over my arm, slowly turning it into an exact replica of a tree stump, a clearing, the shade of a tree. Katniss scornfully says, "It's lovely.  
If only you could frost someone to death." I reply. "Don't act so superior. You never know what you'll find in the arena." Gratefulnow for how I had chosen to spend my practice time, I gathered up a large supply of nearby flowers and greens  
and begin to spread mud all over myself. Slowly, I transform from a pale, beat up boy to a muddy bank covered in weeds. I look over at my hand lying next to me, and it's almost invisible. I close my eyes, ready to sleep, but I realize something. All  
I've eaten for the past several days - I have no idea how long I was knocked out - are a few chunks of pineapple. I should be starving. But I don't feel remotely hungry. I'll think about it later. Right now I'm too tired.

* * *

Prim's POV

The updates at lunch and the reports when I get home are packed with information. There's three different interesting stories going on right now. First, the Careers, who seem to have teamed up with the boy from District 3. He's dug up all the mines from  
around the cornucopia and reactivated them as a booby trap to protect the supplies. I watch, fascinated, as he expertly unhooks gears and refasten wires. What seems utterly complex to me is taught as a simple skill at school in another district. However,  
it's not completely foolproof - the girl from 5 watched them set up the whole thing and has found a path to the horn to take food safely. Secondly, there's Peeta, who has just woken up, dangerously underfed and infected, barely between life and death,  
whether he knows it or not. He's disguisedhimself in mud and water plants, which may hide him from predators, but without food, he won't make it much longer.

As Rory and I sit down on the couch with Gale to watch the games, Mrs. Hawthorn brings out a tray of tea for all of us. I'm at Rory's house now early in the morning - the sun is barely up -to watch the games with his family. My mother will be arriving  
shortly, after she comes back from the bakers. The television blazes to life as the seal of the Capitol appears. Immediately we see Caesar and Claudius on the screen.

"So, Claudius, it's the eighth day of the games. The kids have been there for just over a week. How are things looking?"

"Well, Caesar, it's an interesting moment in the games. A few days ago we saw the boy from District 3, Piviad, reset the pressure mines from around the cornucopia." It cuts to video of Piviad digging up the mines as Claudius continues talking. "This unique  
strategy has proven quite effective at keeping rabbits away - however, it's not completely foolproof. Watch as another tribute, Sanza, from District 5, has found a safe way to the cornucopia." The footage cuts to a girl with red hair hoppsher  
way to the horn. Taking a few things - dried fruit, rabbit meat, and a hat - she scrambles back and sprints to the woods. "How did she do that?" Rory asks. As if I'm response to his question, Caesar begins explaining it. "The tributes would need a  
way back to their own supplies. They would also need a way to recognize it." The screen cuts to an overview of the ground. "If you look closely at the seemingly miscellaneouspebbles, you'll notice a path of red rocks marking the way." "How can  
she notice that?" Claudius inquires. "She's very observant. Sometimes it takes more than brawn to win the games."

"Speaking of more than brawn, let's talk about Rue." Says Caesar. "She's teamed up with Katniss, and it seems to be a symbiotic relationship. Rue gains more food, shelter, and protection, and Katniss gain a wide knowledge on edible berries, as well as  
intrequite detailes on the Careers Camp." "She was one of the least likely contenders to win, even with her high training score,but she's doing well. She's in the top 9, and favored to make it into the top 8."

"Finally, we have our last noteworthy character - Peeta," continues Claudius "Having reacted badly to the Tracker Jacker venom, he's just woken up with multiple infections, both from his stings and from a cut on his upper leg." They cut to a Capitol  
doctor to do an analysis of his wounds. "He's already suffering from PTJ Disease- that's Post-Tracker Jacker Disease - which causes fever, a clouded mind, and in extreme cases, death. However, PTJ Disease isn't the only thing threatening his  
life. He's got a cut in his leg that's pierced a vein. He would be dead already, except when he was unconscious from the tracker jackers, his pants sealed themselves to his wound, creating something like artificial skin. Although he didn't bleed to  
death, bacteria and the PTJ Disease have combined to make him extremely vulnerable to blood poisoning."

* * *

Gale's POV

I try and process the fact that soon Peeta May be out of the games. On one hand, it's horrifying that another tribute will have to suffer a sickening death. On the other hand, I hate to admit it, but I'm almost glad. I know that makes me just like that  
Capitol people, but he made Katniss his sweetheart when I was ready to make her mine. I know that doesn't justify it, but the part of me I don't like to express, the more human part, feels almost satisfied. I feel sickened with myself, but I push  
it out of my mind and keep watching.

They're showing live footage of the games. The Careers have tracked down a new victim - the crippled boy from District 10. I'd forgotten he was still in the games. How he'd survived this long is a mystery to me.

He's about as lucky as he can get, though. His death is almost mercifully short, over in about five seconds after Cato's sword runs him through. I don't know how they can get away with airing such graphic footage.

As the Careers walk away to who-knows-where, they cut to Katniss and Rue. They've come up with an interesting plan - Destroy all the Careers supplies. How they're going to do it, no one knows. If they'll get blown sky high by the bombs, I hope not. But  
the first thing they know it to distract them. They gather up green wood for signal fires, and then Katniss heads off to the camps as Rue piles up the wood.

I'm on the edge of the couch, hoping, praying, that Katniss finds out about the booby trap. If she doesn't...

Katniss is hiding in the bushes, waiting for Rue to light the fire. The screens cut to her striking a match from her pack, setting the branches ablaze. Back at the camp, the Careers see the smoke as Rue starts toward the second camp fire. There's  
a brief dispute over whether of not to leave a guard. The fact that they don't leave one seems to tip Katniss off that something's up. She spends a while trying to comprehend what's happening, as Rue sets the next pile of wood on fire. The Careers  
are starting to suspect a trick, but Cato refuses to back down from a hunt.

Just then, Sanza darts out of the bushes, hopps to the cornucopia, takes a few things, and darts away. This confirms to Katniss that there's a booby trap, but after about 7 minutes of thought, it dawns on her. "Mines," she whispers. She slowly  
takes out an arrow and aims it at a large bag of apples. One arrow cuts a large slit in the bag. Another catches the burlap and rips it away. As a ruby red apple teeters on the edge, the third arrow is released.

The force of the explosion sends Katniss flying off her feet. The Careers, who were stringing a net in hopes of catching a tribute, are drawn up short and begin sprinting back to camp. Rue, gathering branches, drops them and looks around wildly. Katniss  
slowly drags herself into the bushes, her ear bleeding, panting, and shaking. The Careers appear just as the toe of her boot is pulled into her hiding spot. Cato begins a rage, screaming, throwing things, pulling his hair. He turns to Piviad, a wild  
expression in his eyes. Grabbing his head, he jerks it sharply to the side, instantly dislocating his neck. The cannon sounds. Piviad has died.

Clove and Marvel calm Cato down, saying the bomber would have died in the explosion. Tonight, though, they will find out that they were wrong. Katniss has lived. Katniss can survive.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Sorry for the delay - I have finals next week and I'm spending almost all my free time studying. See you next time!


	22. Help From an Angel

Hello! I'm back! Enjoy this chapter, and if you would be willing, please leave a review, or maybe consider following :)

* * *

Peeta's POV

My eyes shoot open as cannon after cannon blasts. _How many tributes have died?_ I wonder. The shots seem to be endless. I try and count, but I loose track. Could it be possible that everyone else had died, that I can win and get treated by the Capitol's  
machines. I'm in agony; my leg feels like it's about to fall off, my stings feel tight and puffy, and there's sweat pouring down my face. The mud has dried on my face and under my nails, making me feel grimy and crusty, and a bath sounds really nice,  
but sitting up seems as remarkable as flying at this point. I try and think how long I've been out; how many tributes are left. But my mind feels steamy, so I abandon all attempts at thought. For a little while I watch a small, brown lizard hunt for  
food, finding bugs and plants in the muddy banks of the stream. After that, I simply watch the sun's progress in the sky. Sometime shortly beforenightfall, two more cannons sound. I briefly wonder who it is, but this simple amount of thought  
sends waves of pain through my head, as if someone's pounding against my skull. In the back of my mind, I think I know I'm I trouble, that if I don't get medicinesoon my chances of surviving slip down to nonexistence.

* * *

Prim's POV

I watch, holding tightly to Rory's hand, as Rue, on her way to the third campfire, gets caught in the Careers net, struggling helplessly, vainly attempting to get free. We watched as Katniss crawled away from the Careers campsite, and tried to locate  
Rue. And then we watch as the boy from District 1 finds her at the same time Katniss does, and gruesomely ends Rue's life with his spear. Katniss retaliates instinctively, sending an arrow flying into his throat before rushing over to Rue.

There's no way for anyone to save her. Years of helping my mother had taught me when a patient can be saved, and when the wound is so bad that all that can be done is ease the patients pain as they go on their way. Katniss doesn't offer hollow words of  
comfort, doesn't make untrue promises like "you'll be okay." Both of them know that only one of them will leave the clearing. Instead she simply holds Rue, allowing her to have the comfort of friendship as she leaves this world. Rue whispered something  
too quiet for the cameras to pick up, but Katniss nods, clears her throat, and begins to softly sing in a clear, sweet voice.

"Deep in the meadow, under the willow, a bed of grass, a soft green pillow..."

Tears spring into my eyes as I listen to the familiar tune that has taken on a new meaning.

"...Here it's safe, here it's warm, here the daisies guard you from every harm..."

It's promising for a better tomorrow. Here it means a tomorrow with food, or a tomorrow away from the mines. But to Rue, it means a tomorrow away from the Games, away from pain, away from death.

"...Here is the place where I love you."

Rue's cannon fires. They cut to a shot of the Careers that seems unnatural, like they're trying to hide something. But when they cut back to Rue, we see her covered in flowers that Katniss must have put there, in both an act of friendship and an act of  
rebellion.

My dreams are troubled that night. It starts with the scene I've just watched in the games, with Katniss holding a dying Rue. Then Rue turns into me, and I watch myself die in the games I was picked to play in. Katniss buries me in flowers, but as she  
leaves, thorns spring from the plants, dangerously long, and begin to pierce their way through my skin. I wake up screaming for Katniss to run as Cato appears, sword flashing, a maniac expression on his face.

* * *

Peeta's POV

As the anthem fades and the sky goes dark, I'm utterly perplexed. I was sure I'd heard dozens of cannons, but only three faces were in the sky: Marvel, Piviad, and Rue. I'm at a complete loss for an explanation, and my minds too foggy to think straight.  
So instead I fall asleep, and don't move until well into the next afternoon.

As soon as I wake up I know I'm worse off than I was last night. Yesterday, I was only mildly hot, but today I feel as though there's an inferno raging in my chest, sending sweat pouring down me and flushing my cheeks. My stomach is churning, and my leg  
feels like a rat is gnawing in the place where Cato cut me. I feel the need to move around, but the mud seems to have encased me. So I wait in agony for what seems like a week before the air begins to cool and the sky darkens. As stars begin to twinkle,  
the sky reports that there were no deaths today, and as the pleasantly cool evening air is about to lull me to sleep, trumpets cause my eyes to fly open.

"There's been a rule change in the games," said Claudius Templesmith. This doesn't exactly register in my throbbing mind. I suppose this is big news, but it doesn't seem that important. "Under the new rule, two tributes from the same district can win  
if they are the last two surviving." Huh? What did he say? He repeats it, and slowly it dawns on me. The girl who I love, the girl who hated me, the girl who tried to kill me, the girl I saved, is now the girl who is my ally. Katniss Everdeen is now  
my ally.

* * *

Prim's POV

As I'm walking out the front door to go to school the next morning, I'm stopped by six or sevenvery strange looking people. One had green skin, one has purple lips, one has blue hair, one has emeralds implanted in their eyes, and the other two actually  
look perfectly normal. "Hello," says one of the normal looking ones. "I'm, Cinna, your older sister's stylist. As you probably know, at this stage in the games we conduct interviews with the tributes friends and families, and that is what we are here  
for. May we please come in?"

It's not an order, like most Capitol people give, but a request. I don't know why, but I immediately like Cinna. My mother invites them in, and they all sit on the sofa, chatting, except Cinna, the one with emerald eyes who brought the camera, and the  
other normal looking one who has remained completely silent. My mother brings out tea but before she can pour it, the silent one steps forward and takes it from her. He pours tea for everyone, and when my mother thanks him, he only replies with a  
nod.

I'm about to ask him why he doesn't talk when Cinna begins to explain the interviews. "There will be two rounds of filming. One will be interviews with you exactly as you are now. No cleaning up, no changing."

I'm immediately self-conscious of my raggedy hand-me-down jumper, stained shirt, and old shoes, and aware that my face must be covered in dirt since Rory convinced me to go with him and Gale into the woods again yesterday.

"The other round, which will take place tommorow, we will style you up. In the hovercraft we arrived in we have prepared several outfits for the two of you, but we may need to make some adjustments depending on your size."

They sit me and my mother on the couch, start filming, and begin asking endless questions. They're mostly about life in District 12.

"What do you do for a living?"

"What do you learn in school?"

"How do you spend your free time?"

"Will you, Prim, continue your mother's business?"

On and on for hours they film and refilm and then film again until finally, for the last time, they say "cut." Cinna quickly measures us to make sure the dresses will fit, then leaves.

* * *

Gale's POV

I sit in the living room as a bunch of Capitol attendants stare at me. Finally, one speaks.

"No."

I wish I'd gotten Cinna or Portia, but Cinna's helping Prim and Portia's with Peeta's family, so I'm stuck with a bunch of weirdos from the Capitol.

"This won't do at all." "He's too handsome." "Not with the romance in the games." "It'll cause controversy!"

They're here for interviews, and everyone told them that I was Katniss's best friend. But apperantly, with the precious little romance that Peeta set up, ill seem like competition for the "Star-crossed lovers." So now I sit here, Stone-faced, as they  
try to think of what to do with me.

"He could be her cousin." "Yeah, that'll work." "They look similar enough." "No one outside District 12 will know."

They start asking questions about my "cousin" in the games. I however simply answer with a few words, or a shrug, or just say nothing at all. I can tell it's driving them crazy. Good.

* * *

Peeta's POV

For the next morning, I just wait for Katniss to apprear. Finally I drift off, only to be awoken by a very distant whisper.

"Peeta?"

I squint, but there's no Katniss in sight. About 5 minutes later, I hear boots squishing in mud, and I hear her whisper again, "Peeta?"

"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?"

I can imagine the Capitol audiance laughing, and I can practically hear Haymitch chuckling. Katniss swivels around, trying to locate me. "Peeta?"

Her boots are dangerously close to my face. "Well, don't step on me!" Katniss jumpes, and then gasps when I open my eyes. I laugh, and she seems to regain her composure. "Close your eyes again." I do, and I vanish. Katniss kneels beside me. "I guess all  
those hours frosting cakes paid off. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying."

I can hear how ragged and scratchy my voice sounds. "You're not going to die," Katniss tells me. "Says who?" There's no denying it: if Katniss hadn't found me, I'd probably be dead within the hour. "Says me," she replies. "We're on the same team now,  
you know." "So I've heard. Nice if you to find what's left of me." I feel miserable. More than anything, I want to get out of this mud bank. Katniss pulls out a water bottle and gives me a long drink of the cool liquid. I haven't had water in days,  
and this little sip seems to sharpen my senses, pull me back into reality. "Did Cato cut you?" "Left leg. Up high." I wince, because saying it reminds me of how much it hurts. "Let's get you into the stream," Katniss Says. "I need to wash you off  
so I can see what kind of wound you've got."

"Lean down a minute first," I whisper. "Need to tell you something." She presses her ear to my lips. "Remember, we're madly in love, so feel free to kiss me whenever you feel like it." She jerks her head away but ends up laughing. "Thanks. I'll keep that  
in mind."

The next few minutes, however are much less lighthearted. Katniss has to pull me out of this stupid mud bank. It shouldn't be too hard - I only got in it a few days ago (I think) - but Katniss, for all her strength, can't pull me free. To make matters  
worse, a vine has wrapped around my leg, right over my wound, and is digging in, causing me to feel like a red hot knife is slowly sawing off my leg. I grit my teeth, but I can still hear that horrible sound coming from me. I barely register that  
the agonized cries are coming from my lips. Finally, in free of the mud bank, but I'm still two feet from the stream.

Katniss tried rolling me into the stream, but that feels even worse than tugging. After one full turn, she stops and looks at my dirty, shaking, crying body and makes a decision. "Change of plans," she says. "We're not going to roll you  
all the way in the stream." "No more rolling?" I weakly ask.

Katniss takes off my jacket and shirt, but she has to cut off my undershirt to work it free. With her 3 water bottles she slowly washes my torso clean. The mix of cold water washing away the grime and human contact, which I have lacked for almost my whole  
life, feels incredibly good. Finally, my face, arms, and chest are free of dirt and sweat for the first time since entering the arena. Katniss takes in my tracker jacket stings and my burns. She spreads some sort of cream all over my burns, and it  
feels as if it's slowly injecting my Burn with ice. She had to dig the stingers out of my tracker jacket lumps, but the moment she applies her herbs, the poison seems to be leeched out of my body.

It was in that moment that I realized that Katniss Everdeen looked like an angel. The dirtiest, sweatiest, most ragged angel ever. But also the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

* * *

I'm so sorry for the delay! I meant for this chapter to be part of a longer one, but I went out of town for Christmas and I'm in a musical, so I've barely had any time to write! Thank you for reading and putting up with my delays!


	23. Butterflies

Prim's POV

I sat in the living room with my mother as we wait for the Capitol people to come back for the second round of interviews. They're not interviewing Gale a second time - Rory told me about how he refused to be nice or play along with the "cousins" act  
/- so it's just me, Mom, and Madge getting interviewed.

When the Capitol people arrive a second time, we wait for them to begin their makeovers. But instead they lead us outside to a latter that I'm positive wasn't there about 30 seconds before. "We're preparing for the interview in our hovercraft," Cinna  
/explains.

Once aboard the hovercraft, I'm amazed by what I see. This one room is larger than our entire house. It's lined in fine white marble, and there's a golden fountain in the center. "This was the nicest hovercraft we could afford," one of the Capitol attendants  
/says dismissively. "It's not much, but it'll do."

That one comment seems to suck all the beauty and magic from the room. What is more beautiful than almost all of District 12 is just barely suitable for the Capitol people. Cinna gives me a sad look, like he knows what I'm feeling, like he disapproves  
/too. My mother goes off with some of the attendants as the rest of them and Cinna lead me to another room.

Inside this room is a bathroom that's even larger than the entrance room. There's a huge bathtub, already filled with warm water and with several buttons, a huge pile of white fluffy towels, a large bowl of fruit of the table, and, I notice as I look  
/closer at things, I notice that all the faucets are embedded in a rainbow of jewels, progressing from glimmering rubies to emeralds to diamonds to amythest. Cinna sets up a curtain around the tub, and I undress and climb into the steaming tub.

I sit for a while in the warm water, and then Cinna presses a button. Rose scented bubbles come pouring into the bath, washing off all the dirt and sweat I've gotten from living in District 12 and giving the air a delightful aroma. When all the bubbles  
/fade away, although the water should be cold and filthy, it's still warm and crystal clear.

Now that the rose bubbles are gone, the press of another button sends daisy scented shampoo running through my hair. The white foam starts spreading itself through my hair, producing white sweet-smelling foam. A jeweled shower head turns itself on and  
/washes out my hair, now smooth and silky instead of dirty and knotted.

Cinna presses a sea foam blue button, and jasmine scented bath salts mix their way into the bath water. Once those are washed away, a final button pours lily scented oils into the tub. By the time I've dried myself off, I smell like a walking field of  
/wildflowers.

I slip on the soft blue robe laid out for me and follow Cinna to the other side of the bathroom. I sit on the stool as Cinna has me press my hand on something. It sends a funny feeling through me, like a current, starting at my fingertips. When it reaches  
/my scalp, I feel my hair dry, the knots unwinding, until it lies, slightly curled, over my shoulders. Cinna takes a tiny bit of it and slowly begins to braid it. I watch in the mirror as he leaves most of my hair down, but braids a tiny bit that wraps  
/around my head. He adds a shimmering blue butterfly clip to the side of my hair and then gets to work on my makeup.

I've never worn makeup before, but Cinna's going for a minimalist look. Some paste that makes my eyelashes look thick and full. More shimmery blue stuff on my eyelids that matches the butterfly. A little bit of daffodil scented gloss on my lips. And finally,  
/clear shimmer on my cheeks. When I look in the mirror, I look almost normal. A little sparkly, yes, and a lot cleaner, but I look exactly like myself.

Cinna leads me to the full length mirror near the wardrobe and instructs me to remove my robe. I feel a little self-conscious, but I remove my robe as he says. In my underwear, I wait as he gets my outfit from the wardrobe. "Close your eyes," he says  
/when he returns. I do so as I wait for him to put it on.

"Now you can open them."

I'm confused. I haven't felt him put it on yet. But when I open my eyes, I realize that the dress was simply so light and soft that it's almost like I'm wearing a cloud.

The dress is a very light blue, the same color as my eyes, and like everything else, it's shimmering. It's got sleeves that are a little too long, but it works. At the very end of the sleeves it's almost faded to white. But what's truly captivating about  
/it is what's around it.

Butterflies.

I don't know how he's done it. Cinna has gotten hundreds of tiny blue butterflies to flutter around my dress, weaving themselves into my hair and leaving little trails of sparkles wherever they fly. I lift my hand, and about twenty of them flutter after  
/my outstretched finger as I watch in wonder. Standing here in a dress that's a little to large and curiously watching butterflies, I don't look twelve - I look almost eight or nine - which I guess was Cinna's plan.

"Do you like it," Cinna asks me, watching as I examine a butterfly that's just settled in my finger. "It's beautiful," I breathe. "Thank you."

I'm not feeling as happy when the interviews are done. Cinna warned me they would be hard, but talking about Katniss to these strange people is almost unbearable. Cinna letsme keep the dress and gives me a little bottle that he tells me will remove  
/the makeup. "The Capitol designed it so it would be waterproof," he explained.

Once back in my house, my mother goes upstairs to change, but I sit downstairs on the couch. I start to think about how that Capitol gives me this dress but they slaughter other girls my age. They don't care how many children die as long as they get entertained.  
/They don't care how many people they hurt. And with that, u crack under all the stress I've felt since the reaping, and begin to cry.

"Prim?"

Rory's at the door. He must have just finished school. "Wow, Prim. You look beautiful. Prim?" He's noticed my tears. "It's nothing," I said, my voice breaking. But I know he doesn't believe me. We sit on the couch and he just holds me as I sob.

"I-I j-just can't t-take it," I sobbed. "K-Katniss is out there fighting and h-here I am, wearing p-pretty dresses like I d-don't care, b-but I do, and she's g-gone, and n-now we're cousins, and..." I break down again, and Rory hugs me tight.

"Prim," he says when I've calmed down a little. "I know you care. And I'm here for you. And no one cares about what the Capitol says. Everyone knows we're not cousins." He takes a deep breath.

"A little while ago someone told me I was to young to know what love is. But I know that they're wrong. Because, well..." he takes another deep breath, "because, well, I love you."

I'm shocked. I always wondered what it would be liked for a boy to love me. And now I know. "I love you too, Rory," I whisper. I realize how incredibly different we are. He's tough, and I'm weak and fragile. He looks older than his age, and

I look younger. I'm witty, he's reserved. I'm talkative, he's shy. But here we are, together.

"A-are you sure it's okay?" I sniffled. "Y-you know, with us being cousins?" "Well," Rory says, "if that's okay, then it's okay for me to do this."

He reaches out and takes my soft, small, flower scented face in his rough hands and draws it closer. And before I know it, he's kissing me, and I'm kissing him back. His rough lips are locked on my soft ones, and we hug each other tightly, never wanting  
/to let go of the ones we love. And as the butterflies softly flutter around our faces, butterflies in my stomach arise, and I kiss Rory harder, never letting go.

* * *

Awww that was a sweet chapter. If only I could find love...feel free to follow or review! Thank you to everyone who reviews on this it means a lot to me.


	24. Feast of Fear

Peeta's POV

How long have I been in this cave? A day? A week? A month? I can't tell time anymore. The minutes drag on, torturing me, but they days go by in the blink of an eye. Katniss fed me, told me stories, kept me alive, but it's all been in vain. I know I'm  
/dying. I'm so hot and miserable I've forgotten almost all of what's happened recently.

Except the kiss. I remember that. Katniss kissing me, I don't know how many times, but it's the first kiss I remember the best. Her soft lips coming down to meet mine. Her small hands grabbing my face, and my hands weaving themselves in with her matted  
/hair.

And now I'm begging Katniss not to go somewhere. Where do I not want her to go? I knew a second ago. But my brains so fuzzy I can't remember. _Think, Peeta_ I tell myself. _Where do you not want her to go?_ It's somewhere dangerous, I know  
that.

Let's start with what I know.

I know I'm about to die. But from what. Blood poisoning. I remember that. And there's almost no way for me to win now. To survive, I desperately need medicine you can't get in the arena.

Desperately need...

Suddenly I remember where I'm trying to keep her from going. I feel dread adding itself to my ever growing list of miseries. _The feast!_ That's where she wants to go. I can't let her. She'll die. She can't die for me. I'd never forgive myself.

I remember the announcement. _Each of you needs something desperately._ I need medicine desperately. And I'm incapable of getting to the cornucopia. And Katniss wants to go for me.

I realize this all in a couple seconds. "Don't worry," Katniss was saying. "We'll see who's in the sky tomorrow and work out a plan from there."

"You're such a bad liar," I hoarsely croak at her. "Oh, yeah," she says. I begin to imitate her. "I knew that goat would be a little gold mine. You're a little cooler though."

"Maybe I am going. You can't stop me." She's got a point. I know I can't stop her. I'm too weak. I can follow her though. I'd follow her all the way to the feast, howling, until I'm dead, either killed by another tribute, or an animal, or simple exhaustion.  
/Katniss goes outside to think, and when she returns, she has a pot filled with mush with her.

"I brought you a treat," she says. "I found a new patch of berries by the stream." She feeds me a mouthful, and I swallow the overly-sweet bite. "They're very sweet," I comment. "Yes, they're sugar berries," she says. "My mother makes jam from them. Haven't  
/you ever had them before." No. I haven't. But they taste so familiar...

"They're sweet as syrup," I say, feeling oddly drowsy. "Syrup.."

Suddenly my brain connects the dots. The sweetness, the drowsiness, the familiar taste. These aren't new berries. I don't even know if sugar berries exist. These are just forest berries mashed up with sleep syrup. I've had several doses of sleep syrup,  
/seeing as I was extremely sickly when I was little. I try and spit the mouthful out, but Katniss punches my mouth and nose shut, forcing me to swallow. I try and vomit, but I can already feel sleep slowly reaching up, wrapping it's greedy fingers  
/around me and pulling me down. The last thing I see before my world fades to black is Katniss looking down at me, a mixture of satisfaction and sadness on her face.

* * *

Prim's POV

"Who can't lie, Peeta?" Katniss asks from the screen.

School has been canceled, and they're showing live footage of the games. There's a feast tomorrow morning, and we know Katniss plans on attending. She'll do anything to save Peeta.

My mother and I have agreed to watch the games in our house. Whatever happens to Katniss, we'll have time to ourselves to grieve, if worst comes to worst.

There's a knock on the door, and both my mother and I jump a little. Standing on our front porch is the entire Hawthorn family, plus Sandi and Millie. "We've come to watch the feast with you," Mrs. Hawthorn explains. My mother begins brewing some herbal  
/tea as the rest of us get ourselves situated. There's not enough room on the couch, so we let our mothers and Gale sit on it and I run upstairs to get some pillows and blankets for the younger kids to sit on.

We watch as Katniss disguises the cave Peeta's in, take everything she needs, and goes to the Cornucopia. She stays hidden as the other tributes position themselves.

They cut to a special where the commentators discuss the statistics of this feast. Katniss, Clove, And Sanza all have speed to their advantage. Thresh and Cato both have strength. Katniss, Clove, And Cato all have the ability to kill from a distance.  
/Sanza has stealth to her advantage.

We sit in the living room, to anxious to fall asleep. The games will have changed dramatically by tomorrow. Feasts arealways put in place to up the tempo.

If one of the Careers dies, it just means the other one no longer has an ally. If Thresh or Sanza dies, it just means one less powerful opponent. And if Katniss dies, it means almost certain death for Peeta as well.

After what seems like years of sitting in silence, the feast finally begins.

Four backpacks of various sizes rise from the ground. Quick as a flash, Santa's already got hers and is sprinting off into the woods. Katniss is next, sprinting for the tiny backpack. Clove and Cato emerge as one, Cato going for the backpack and Clove  
/chasing after Katniss. Thresh is the last to emerge.

Clove throws a knife at Katniss, who barely avoids it. Katniss barely avoids it and sends an arrow flying straight at Cloves heart. Clove twists to avoid it, but it still pierced her arm. She yanks it out of her arm and continues the chase.

Katniss scoops up the tiny backpack just as Clove's knife hits her forehead. Everyone in the room inhales sharply as Katniss sends an arrow flying wildly before Clove body slams her into the ground. _This is it,_ I think. She can't use her bow in  
/this situation. And without a bow, I can't see any way out. My only hope at this point is a miracle.

Clove, of course, likes to play with her food before she eats it. "Where's Lover Boy?" She asks teasingly. "Where's your boyfriend District 12?" "He's our there, hunting Cato," Katniss snarls. "Peeta!" She yells before Clove punches her in the throat.  
/It's a blatant lie, but it's enough to make Clove look around in alarm. When Peeta doesn't appear, Clove looks back with a look of satisfaction on her face.

Clove probably knows that Peeta's barely hanging onto life. So instead of worrying about Peeta, she takes her time to torment Katniss, to make her last few moments as painful as possible.

"We're going to kill you, District 12," she sings. "Just like we killed your pathetic little ally. The one who hopped around in the trees? First Rue, then you."

The comment about Rue makes our entire room gasp. I imagine the gasp, starting here, working it's way through the seam, then through the whole district, down the mountains, and ending in District Eleven, where they are no doubt outraged.

"I think," Clove says, and I put my attention back on the screen, "we'll start with your lips. You won't be needing them much anymore. Want to blow lover boy one last kiss?" Katniss, in one last act of defiance, spits in Cloves face. Clove, shaking with  
/fury, presses her knife to Katniss' lips. I cover my eyes, unable to watch, and Rory, Millie, and Sandi put their arms around me. I feel my mother tense up behind me, and Mrs. Hawthorn moves to comfort her, while Gale moves to his younger siblings.

And then the miracle I was praying for happens.

Clove, in her arrogance, threw around comments about Rue for the world to hear. And the world did hear. And what we see, and what she can't see, is a muscular man who did hear those comment abandoning his chase for his backpack and instead swiveling around  
/and, with surprising speed, launching himself at clove. Just as Clove's knife pierced the delicate flesh of Katniss' lip, Thresh lifts her up off the ground.

"YOU KILL HER?" He roars, and everyone in the room jumps. "N-no, it wasn't me!" Clove stutters desperately. "I heard you! You said her name. You kill her?" Thresh throws Clove down on the ground and reveals the rock he's holding in his hands. "N-no, it  
/wasn't me, it wasn't - Cato!" She screams in fear. "Clove!" Cato yells, almost at the table, but stops, seeing Clove. Thresh, filled with rage, raises the rock above his head.

I can't watch the next part. I know what's going to happen. No matter how despicable she is, I can't bring myself to watch her final moments. Instead I squeeze my eyes tight and only hear two hard blows. Clove lets out a scream that's cut short. "Clove!"  
/Cato yells again. I finally bring myself to look and see Thresh has rounded on Katniss.

"What'd she say about Rue, being your ally?" Thresh demands. "I-I, I mean w-we," Katniss stutters. She composed herself and says, "We teamed up. Rue and I. Shared our food. Blew up the Career's supplies. I tried to save her, but...he got her. District  
/1. Please, Thresh, just do it fast." I know she wants it over quickly for my sake. So I don't have to watch her suffer. But Thresh has different ideas.

Instead he sets the rock down. "You go," He says. "No more owed. You understand?" Katniss nods.

"Clove!"

Cato's much closer now. He rushes straight to his dying ally, cradling her in his arms. "Cato," she whispers softly. "Clove, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Cato sobs. Something changes in that moment. The careers are universally hated by

all other districts. But how can anyone be truly despicable if they're capable of so much sorrow, so much care, so much love even, even if it's only for one person? The reality that the Careers are people too strikes me hard at that moment. Cato wasn't  
/just a beast. He had _feelings._ He's had a childhood. He had friends back home. He may even have a girlfriend. Clove could have been his girlfriend. If not, she was certainly a close friend. I look back on his past actions. He'd seemed lighter,  
/almost happier, once it was just him and Clove in their party. They'd shared fish and wild game, made plans, even cracked a joke or two. They'd had each other's backs until there very end, and we hear the cannon signaling the moment.

Thresh and Katniss have taken off. Thresh has even takes Cato's backpack. Cato could chase one of them right now, but instead he slides Clove's eyes closed, brushes her hair forward, and lays her gently on the ground. "Goodbye, Clove," He whispers.  
Then he turns on his heel and sprints after Thresh.

The footage cuts to Katniss sprinting and loosing a very scary amount of blood. She's pressing her spare socks to it but loosing more by the minute. Finally, she reaches her cave and crawls inside. Fumbling, she takes the needle out of the bag and plunged  
it into Peeta's arm. The clear medicen works its way into himself as Katniss passes out and hits the floor of the cave like a rock.

I lay awake at night, thinking. Everyone's lying still - everyone decided to spend the night - but I don't think anyone's asleep. How can the Capitol call this entertainment, I wonder. And how could we be so blinded to believe the Capitol's lies? The  
other tributes aren't monsters. They're just scared children like the rest of us. And they're slaughtering them. In a way, we're slaughtering them too. We're going along with it. In 74 years we haven't so much as lifted a finger. Why not? Rebellion  
has never crossed my mind, but what if that happened? Would it be better than our current situation? I think yes. Either way we're at war with the Capitol. It depends on if we're slaves to them, or if we're fighting back. And although I've never been  
very strong, I want to fight back.

* * *

Gale's POV

I sit on the couch in silence. My blood is boiling, my ears are ringing, and yet I don't move. Instead I find myself contemplating Katniss. Does she love Peeta? She risked her life for him. Would she have done the same for me? We've had each other's backs  
for years now. But would she love me enough to do that for me? I should have volunteered as tribute. But Katniss would have never forgiven me.

I look down at everyone on the floor. Vick and Posy have drifted off into sleep. Rory has too, sleeping very lightly with his arm draped around Prim. Prim, I notice, is still awake. I wonder what she's thinking about.

These games have been thrown in a new light for me. They're no longer something to endure, something to rant about. They're something to stand up to. Something to speak out against. Something to fight.

* * *

Sorry for the delay in updates! I've been given a pretty big part in my school musical (Chorus/Seagull/Flotsam And Jetsam understudy) plus I've started writing another fanfiction (Dude, We're Going to High School Together! Phineas and Ferb). Anyways we're  
getting near the end of book 1! Hope you've been enjoying!


	25. Reliving the Past

Hello! I had no idea we were getting so close to the end of the book! Now, I seem to have lost my copy of the hunger games, so my apologies if these next few chapters are a little off from what the book says. Please enjoy!

* * *

Peeta's POV

I woke up, my head feeling clearer than it had in days. I sat up and felt no dizziness, no pain. Well, actually, there was a small pain in my arm. I looked down to see a needle sticking out of my shoulder. _So she went to the feast after all,_ I thought.

I looked over at Katniss and my heart nearly stopped. She was lying facedown in a pool of blood. I quickly rolled her over and looked at her face. There was a huge gash in her forehead, and the rest of it was stained with blood from the wound. She still  
had a pulse though, so I got to work.

I took one of the water bottles and poured it on a cloth from her pack. Slowly, I washed the blood off her face and cleaned the wound. I then took some bandages from the medical kit and wrapped them around her head, securing them with medical tape.

My stomach growled, and I realized that all I had eaten for the last few days was a handful of mushed up berries flavored with sleep syrup. A side effect of sleep syrup is that some people find that it sharpens their hunger once they wake up. Starving,  
I began digging through the packs. I found some groosling and began devouring the fatty, delicious meat. As I was licking my fingers clean, I realized that the groosling May have needed to last longer. Oh, well. It was already gone.

I checked on Katniss again. She was sleeping peacefully, and I wondered what had gone on at the feast. Just then, as if it was answering my thoughts, the anthem began to play. I peeked out through a hole in the rocks. Clove has been the only death. I  
looked back at Katniss. Had she fought with Clove? Is that why she had that wound? Did she kill her with the arrow? She was missing a few when she came back.

Katniss begins to stir. She whispers something about home. "Katniss?" I ask. She sits up, and then immediately winces, pressing her hand to her forehead. "What happened?" She asks weakly. "Well I woke up and you were lying there in a very scary pool of  
blood," I answered. "You're all better?" She whispered. "Whatever you Shot into my arm did the trick," I assured.

"Peeta," she says, "Clove is..." "Yeah," I say. "I saw it in the sky. Did you get her?" "No," she says. "Thresh broke her skull with a rock."

An image of Clove, lying at the cornucopia, eyes still as glass, blood trickling down her face comes to me. I push it out of my mind.

"Well, good thing he didnt get you," I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katniss wince again. "No, he did," she said. "Only..."

I look at her, and she takes a deep breath. "After I woke up from the tracker jackers, Rue and I teamed up. She had been treating me while I was unconscious. We shared everything with each other. That's how I knew about the leaves, and the berries. Then  
we came up with a plan. The Careers had activated the bombs that surround the Cornucopia. Rue lit a signal fire in the woods, and once the Careers had left, I blew up their supplies. The blast hit my ear though. I cant hear anything from my left side.  
But then, they found her first."

Katniss stops talking and blinks back tears. "Thresh didn't kill me because he didn't want to be in my debt. Like you and the bread. And how I can never stop owing you for that." "I don't understand," I said, realizing how stupid that makes me sound.  
"You wouldn't. You weren't poor," Katniss says. That stung. I was about to snap something at her when she asks "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" I ask stupidly. "Give me the bread." I think back to that rainy day and put my hand on my cheek, remembering how my mother had struck me. "You know why," I say.

I think about who's left in the games. Katniss, Me, Cato, Thresh, And Foxface. "Our biggest threats are Cato and Thresh," I remark. Katniss starts tearing up again. "What's wrong?" I ask. "I want to go home, Peeta," she whispers.

Later, as we scavenge the rest of the food from the packs, Katniss asks, "So what's on the far side of the Cornucopia where Thresh is?" The first day of the games comes back to me. "A field," I say, remembering the tall grasses. "No one really wanted  
to go in it. Maybe some of the plants are wheat." "I bet some of the plants are wheat," Katniss says. "I bet Thresh knows which ones too."

She's silent for a while, and I know she's thinking of something. "Well," she finally says, "I guess knocking you out was a real stroke of luck." A stroke of luck? That's what she thought of it as? "No, it wasn't!" I protested. "I don't want you risking  
your life for me!"

The thought of what would have happened if Thresh hadn't been there, or if he had killed Katniss himself, overwhelms me. She wouldn't be here. I would soon follow her. A world without Katniss...it would destroy her family. Her friends. And me.

"Well, maybe you're not the only one who cares about what would happen!" She snaps back. "Maybe you're not the only one who...who..."

She trails off, and I look at her. Had I been to harsh with her? "Who what?" I ask cautiously. "That's...exactly the thing Haymitch told me to avoid," she says, avoiding my eyes. That's obviously made up. Haymitch would want her to  
spill her guts right now. But I wouldn't force her to.

"Then I'll just have to fill it in myself," I say, and before I know it, we're kissing. It's our first kiss that I'm fully aware of myself for, and I know I'll never forget it. Her hairs matted, her skin is dirty, and she's broken and bruised,  
but she looks more beautiful than anyone I've ever seen. She wraps her arms around me, and I respond with more passion. Slowly, I break away because her wound is bleeding through the bandage. But if it wasn't for that cut, I could have kissed her  
all night.

* * *

Gale's POV

Sitting on a hill in the woods, I try and shake the image out of my mind. Katniss and Peeta, in the cave. _She doesn't care about him,_ I try and tell myself. But I can't deny the fact that their kiss seemed more than staged. She risked her life for  
him. He took care of her. I know Katniss well enough to tell when she's lying. Haymitch didn't tell her not to talk about her feelings. She really cares about Peeta.

Angry, I chuck rocks into a stream. Little minnows scatter as each stone breaks the surface. _I should have volunteered,_ I thought. _I should be there with her in the cave. I should be taking care of her. I should have been at the feast, watching her back._ Having  
to work in the mines gave me enough to do to ignore most of the games. But late in the games, work is often canceled, and now only hunting can take my mind off things. But not completely, because I don't want to be alone in the woods. I want Katniss  
next to me, bow and arrows, ready to hunt. I'd been in the woods by myself until I was fourteen, when I first met Katniss. I never wanted to be in the woods alone again. But even if she returned, the woods would never be the same. I would never be  
able to hunt the same way with her, talk the same way with her. She'd be living with Peeta, and I'd never be as important to her as him.

 _Stupid games,_ I thought as I began unloading my traps. I was slowly donating less and less to the collection tin. The tin was for _Katniss,_ Not Katniss and Peeta. But only a few coins had gone to Katniss so far. The only thing for Katniss  
we had bought for was a small portion of the burn medicen. The rest had come from Capitol sponsors. But everything else we contributed, the sleep syrup, food for them, small amounts of the medicine, had all been used for Peeta. _Have you forgotten who we are?_ I  
want to scream every time I enter the hob and see people donating for Katniss _and Peeta._ Peeta's never done anything for us. It's always been Katniss. Katniss supplies fresh game for everyone. Katniss trades greens and fish. Peeta only sells  
to the rich. His family won't sell their beautiful cakes to any starving citizen. They'll barely give out fresh bread for a squirrel. If Katniss owned that bakery, she'd give out fresh goods to every starving person who came her way. Because she knows  
what it's like to starve. Peeta came from a privileged background, never had to take out tesserae, never had to worry about where his next meal would come from. He wasn't part of the Hob. Yet all the merchants seemed to forget that. They forgot that  
our fellow hunterneeded help, and were instead helping an outsider who never bothered to give us a second glance.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! Please feel free to favorite, follow, or review!


	26. The Death of Foxface

Hello! I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I got logged out of my account and I was just able to log back in. This chapter is skipping past the death of Thresh for the sake of wrapping the story up

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Peeta's POV

I sat by the stream, picking berries. Everything was flashing through my mind. The storm, the meal, Thresh projected into the sky, the kiss. How had it all happened? How could Thresh have died? Had Cato killed him? That was my first thought. But the more  
I thought about it, a much darker theory came to mind.

Thresh hadn't played by the rules of the games. Katniss told me about how he let her go. Was the storm what killed Thresh, a way of showing that to survive you had to just be a piece in the games? Letting another tribute go would have seemed like a slap  
in the face to the Capitol. The point of the games was to show how the Districts had no choice but to now down to the Capitol. But if inside the games, which I believe to be a metaphor for how Panem works, if the Tributes can show mercy, can play  
by their own rules, then why can't the Districts stand up to the Capitol?

I set my little pile of berries down next to the roots I've dug up and give the little four note whistle. When Katniss doesn't reply, I start to get worried. Setting down my pack, I trace my steps back to the stream. Just as I reach the flowing water,  
Katniss jumps out, arrow at my heart. She lowers her bow when she sees it's me.

"Where have you been?" She snapps. "I was digging for roots," I replied. "I whistled! Why didn't you respond?" "I couldn't hear you!" I protested, starting to walk back to the roots. "I thought something terrible happened to you!" Katniss continued to  
shout as we got back to the pack. She's about to say something else when she looks into the pack and notices something. "And you ate the last of the food?" "No!" I insisted, completely honestly. Katniss holds up a block of cheese with little teeth  
marks in it. Confused, I examine it. The teeth are too small to be either mine or Katniss' teeth marks. I'm suspicious, but rightnow I just want to get back on her good side. "I picked some berries. Want some?" I give her a few and she examines  
them. I'm about to eat one when I notice her eyes have lit up in alarm. "Peeta-"

Right before her lips form the word, the cannon booms. Whirling around in alarm, Katniss looks as though she's expecting me to be lying on the ground with Cato standing over me. But I'm still standing, eyebrows raised in question. We turn and watch as  
a hovercraft appears and lifts a bone-thin Foxface out of the arena.

I grab Katniss' arm in a panic. "We have to leave," I say. "Cato must be nearby." But Katniss seems unusually calm. "Cato didn't kill Foxface. You did," she says. "What?" That doesn't make any sense. "How could  
I have killed her if I haven't seen her since day one?" Even though I know I couldn't have killed her, I feel a wave of dread crash over me. Wasn't it enough that I had killed the boy from 4, Arroyo?

In response to my question, Katniss holds up the berries. "Nightlock," she explains. "One berry, and you'll be dead before it hits your stomach."

I come to a sudden understanding. "She must have been the one stealing our food."

Katniss is ready to climb a tree and spend the night in the woods. "Katniss, can we please go back to the cave?" I ask. My leg hurts, and there's no way I could ever get up into the tree, let alone sleep. She seems about ready to throw me up  
into the tree, but then her expression softens. "Of course," she says. "That was easier than I thought," I said.

On the way back, I can't help but feel guilty about Foxface. I keep telling myself that I didn't mean to kill her, that if she hadn't died I would probably be dead. _So she was a sacrifice? She had to die to tip you off._ A voice in my head pesters  
me. No, I tell myself. Katniss recognized the berries. We would be fine. _You've already killed two people. Intentionally._ The voice continues. _What does it matter that this one was an accident? You're already just a piece in the games._ I  
shake the voice off as we reach our cave.

* * *

I know this chapter was super short and kind of inaccurate. Sorry about that. I just wanted to let you guys know I was still here by getting a chapter out as fast as I could. Please review and sorry again for the kind of crummy chapter


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